Gunmen and bombers attacked busy restaurants, bars
and a concert hall at locations around Paris on Friday evening, killing
dozens of people in what a shaken French President described as an
unprecedented terrorist attack. In the photo, French fire brigade
members aid an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall
following fatal shootings November 13, 2015. Photo: Reuters
Reuters, Paris
- Multiple gun, bomb attacks in Paris - At least 127 people killed - 80 killed at Bataclan concert hall - France declares national state of emergency - All borders closed
About 80 people were killed in the Bataclan concert hall in central
Paris and 40 others have died in other locations in and around Paris in a
militant attack, an official at Paris City hall said on Saturday.
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Gunmen and bombers attacked busy restaurants, bars and a concert
hall at locations around Paris on Friday evening, killing dozens of
people in what a shaken President Francois Hollande described as an
unprecedented terrorist attack. Black-clad gunmen wielding AK-47s
stormed into the Bataclan concert hall in eastern Paris and fired calmly
and methodically at hundreds of screaming concert-goers, AFP adds. Witnesses
said the attackers shouted "Allahu akbar" ("God is greatest") and
blamed France's military intervention in Syria as they sprayed bullets
into the crowd watching US rock band Eagles of Death Metal.
Four attackers were killed when police stormed the Bataclan, which
lies just 200 metres (yards) from the former offices of Charlie Hebdo
magazine that was targeted in January.
Three of the attackers blew up suicide vests as police launched
their attack, several sources said. The fourth was hit by police fire
and blew up as he fell.
"There
was blood everywhere, corpses everywhere. We heard screaming. Everyone
was trying to flee," said Pierre Janaszak, a radio presenter who
attended the concert and hid with several others at the venue.
"They had 20 hostages, and we could hear them talking with them," said Janaszak.
In the north of the city, at least five people were killed in three
explosions near the Stade de France national stadium where France were
playing Germany in an international football match, security sources
said.
One of the explosions was caused by a suicide bomber, police and witnesses said.
President Francois Hollande was attending the match and had to be hastily evacuated.
A Cambodian restaurant near the concert hall was also attacked, with further deaths reported.
"Terrorist attacks of an unprecedented level are underway across
the Paris region," Hollande said in an emotional televised message.
"It's a horror."
Hollande declared a state of emergency across the entire country and
cancelled his trip to the G20 summit due to take place this weekend in
Turkey.
Prosecutors said at least five attackers had been "neutralised" in total.
Candlelight vigil in Union Square New York City. The world stands united with Paris. God be with Paris pic.twitter.com/PuH3BgYS1o
"We heard so many gunshots and the terrorists were very calm,
very determined," Julien Pearce, a reporter for France's Europe 1
radio, told CNN while the hostage crisis was still underway.
"They reloaded three or four times ... and they didn't shout anything. They didn't say anything."
He said friends were still inside as he spoke.
"They are hiding in some kind of room in the dark and they text(ed)
me, and they are very afraid, of course, and they are waiting for the
police to intervene, but it's been over two hours now and this is
terrible."
Hundreds of police had gathered outside and armed officers eventually
stormed the venue at around 2335 GMT, accompanied by a series of
explosions.
At the Stade de France, spectators flooded the pitch as news of the attacks spread before organisers started evacuations.
'They opened fire'
An extra 1,500 soldiers were mobilised to reinforce police in Paris,
Hollande's office said, while mayor Anne Hidalgo called for residents to
stay home.
US President Barack Obama led a chorus of global condemnation, saying it was "an attack on all of humanity".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission chief
Jean-Claude Juncker said they were "deeply shocked" by the attacks.
France has been on high alert since the attacks in January against Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket that left 17 dead.
Security had begun to be stepped up ahead of key UN climate talks to
be held just outside the French capital from November 30, with border
checks restored from Friday.
More than 500 French fighters are thought to be with Islamic State in
Syria and Iraq, according to official figures, while 250 have returned
and some 750 expressed a desire to go there.
France has joined US-led air strikes on IS targets in Iraq for over a
year and in September began bombing the jihadists in Syria.
US President Barack Obama speaks about the shooting
attacks in Paris, from the White House in Washington November 13, 2015.
Photo: Reuters
Reuters, Washington
US President Barack Obama pledged his government's support to France
on Friday after a series of attacks in Paris, but said he did not yet
know the details of what had happened and that the situation was still
unfolding. "Once again we've seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians," Obama told reporters at the White House. READ: Paris attacks kill more than 140
"We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that the
government and the people of France need," he said, and pledged to
"bring these terrorists to justice and go after any terrorist networks"
involved. "Those who think that they can terrorize the people of France or the values that they stand for are wrong," Obama said.
A man lies on the ground as French police check his
identity near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in
Paris, France, November 13, 2015. The man was later released after his
identity was verified. Photo: Reuters
Reuters, New York
New York, Boston and other cities in the United States bolstered
security on Friday night after deadly gun and bomb attacks on civilians
in Paris, but law enforcement officials said the beefed-up police
presence was precautionary rather than a response to any specific
threats.
The New York Police Department said officers from its
Counterterrorism Response Command and other special units were deployed
in areas frequented by tourists, and at the French Consulate in
Manhattan. ALSO READ: Paris attacks kill more than 140
"Teams have been dispatched to crowded areas around the city out
of an abundance of caution to provide police presence and public
reassurance as we follow the developing situation overseas," the NYPD
said in a statement.
New York, the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks that
killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed the World Trade Center's twin
towers, is considered a top target for potential attacks by Islamist
militants. The top of the Empire State Building and the spire at One
World Trade Center were lit up Friday night with blue, white and red,
the colors of the French flag.
The nearly simultaneous gun and bomb attacks in Paris killed at least
140 people in various places across the French capital and wounded many
others
The NYPD did not say how many extra officers were sent to guard the
areas of concern nor did it specify the areas where the extra officers
were sent.
"Every time we see an attack like this, it is a reminder to be
prepared, to be vigilant," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told ABC 7
television.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he directed state law enforcement
officials to monitor the Paris situation for any implications for New
York state and to remain in constant communication with their local and
federal partners.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said police were on
heightened alert at all of the agency's bridges, tunnels and rail
facilities, as well as at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. It
said it was increasing patrols and checking of buses and trains and
passengers' bags.
US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a
statement that "we know of no specific or credible threats of an attack
on the US homeland of the type that occurred in Paris tonight."
The National Basketball Association, which had 11 games on the
schedule Friday night, said it was increasing security at each of the
venues. The most popular sport, American football, would not have any
games until Sunday as previously scheduled.
"Security at our games is always at a heightened state of alert," National Football League spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Outside of New York, law enforcement and transportation agencies said they were also on high alert.
The US Capitol Police in Washington boosted patrols around the
Capitol complex, a spokeswoman said. "There is currently no known threat
to the Capitol Complex," she said in an email.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington had deployed
additional law enforcement resources to French-owned sites and other
high-profile locations as a precaution but there was no imminent threat,
said Officer Sean Hickman.
At the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., a fashion show went ahead
as scheduled, with hosts pausing the event for a moment of silence to
honor the victims in Paris.
In Boston, the police department said it deployed additional
resources and was working closely with federal authorities but saw no
credible threat in the city, where Islamist militant sympathizers set
off home-made bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line in April 2013.
Massachusetts State Police said they took "several actions", including
bolstering security around the State House in Boston.
The St. Louis Police Department said it added an extra layer of
security for the World Cup soccer qualifying match between the United
States and St. Vincent on Friday night.
Chicago police were following developments in France to determine
whether to bolster city security but was not aware of any immediate
threats.
"Tonight the City of Chicago stands shoulder to shoulder with the
City of Paris in the wake of today's despicable and horrifying attacks,"
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.
San Francisco police officers have been told to maintain high
visibility and increase patrols in areas of high public traffic, such as
bus and train stations, said Sgt. Michael Andraychak. Police have been
in contact with the French Consulate.
In Pittsburgh, which was hosting a National Hockey League game on
Friday, a police spokeswoman said public safety personnel were working
with intelligence authorities to identify any indications of local
threats.
Amtrak, the US passenger train service, said there were no specific or credible threats against the railway.
