The key here is the plan seems to have depended on a silent entry. They didn’t blast their way in, they needed to get in quietly and get upstairs to the editorial office.
If the lady had not put in the code, if they had started shooting on the street, it would have been a very different situation.
Yes, in all likelihood the lady and her child would have died at the door, still locked, the terrorists still on the street.
Israeli security guards commonly face a similar situation when they try to tackle a bomber before the bomber can get into a supermarket, for example.
ANYBODY who worked at a known terror target like Charlie Hebdo, especially those who knew the entry code, should have been better prepared for exactly this situation.
Sounds like they had all the security the law allowed
Yes, I agree, the people who know the code should have some kind of second level of verification that will not be visible outside.
Also, the police need to be armed. What exactly were they supposed to do? And how were the employees supposed to be protected by their presence in the face of armed invaders?