Charlie Hebdo to publish Mohammad cartoon on front page

Satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo columnist Patrick Pelloux (R) and cartoonist Luz (L) show a copy of their next issue titled "Tout est pardonne" ("All is forgiven") showing a caricature of Prophet Mohammad during a news conference at the French newspaper Liberation offices in Paris, January 13, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS/BOBIGNY, France - Charlie Hebdo will publish a front page showing a caricature of the Prophet Mohammad holding a sign saying "Je suis Charlie" in its first edition since Islamist gunmen attacked the satirical newspaper.

With demand surging for the edition due on Wednesday, the weekly planned to print up to 3 million copies, dwarfing its usual run of 60,000, after newsagents reported a rush of orders. Digital versions will be posted in English, Spanish and Arabic, while print editions in Italian and Turkish will also appear.

France has drafted in thousands of extra police and soldiers to provide security after 17 people were killed in three days of violence that began when two Islamist gunmen burst into Charlie Hebdo's offices, opening fire in revenge for the paper's publication of satirical images of Mohammad in the past.

In a parliamentary session honouring the victims, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France was "at war against terrorism, jihadism and radical Islamism" but not the Muslim faith, the country's second-largest, which "has its place in France".

After his speech, lawmakers broke into a spontaneous rendition of La Marseillaise, a first in parliament's history.

The front page of Charlie Hebdo's Jan. 14 edition shows a tearful Mohammad with a sign "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) below the headline: "Tout est pardonné" (All is forgiven).

"I wrote 'all is forgiven' and I cried," Renald Luzier, who drew the image, told journalists at the weekly's temporary office at the headquarters of the left-wing daily Liberation.

"This is our front page ... it's not the one the terrorists wanted us to draw," he said. "I'm not worried at all... I trust people's intelligence, the intelligence of humour."