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More than 100 people were killed in a mass hostage-taking at a Paris concert hall Friday and many more were feared dead in a series of bombings and shootings, as France declared a national state of emergency. Video provided by AFP Newslook
PARIS — French police were hunting Saturday for possible accomplices to eight terrorists who killed at least 120 people here, including scores who were being held hostage in a concert hall, in multiple attacks that employed seven suicide bombs.
Reuters reported Saturday that the death toll rose to 128 and 99 people were critically injured, citing an unnamed source at the Paris prosecutor’s office.
French investigators began to try and make sense of the chaos left in the aftermath of Friday’s bloody attack on the Bataclan concert hall, where police said the bodies of more than 110 victims remained inside.
Officers said forensic teams were examining the bodies for clues about the attack, in which the terrorists triggered explosives and fired into the packed hall during a performance by the California rock band Eagles of Death Metal. Other victims were killed at five other locations in the city.
French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency and ordered 1,500 extra troops to guard buildings and schools.
Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor’s office, told the Associated Press early Saturday that eight terrorists died in the attacks, seven of them in suicide bombings. The eighth was killed by security forces when they raided the concert hall. She added that it’s possible that terrorists tied to the attacks remain at large.
Investigators are searching for information about the attackers. No information has been released about them, including their nationalities or even their exact number. Islamic extremists are believed to be behind the attacks, although no group has claimed responsibility for the massacre.
Far away from the horrors of the Paris terrorist attack, people in Los Angeles express their support and prayers for Parisians affected by the attacks.
Overall, at least 120 people were killed in the attacks at six sites across the city, Thibault-Lecuivre said.
In addition to the scores of victims at the concert venue, at least 11 died in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement and the AP said that three suicide bombs went off outside the national stadium, where Hollande was among the spectators at an exhibition soccer match between the French and German nationals teams.
It was the bloodiest day for France since World War II and comes just 11 months after 16 people were killed in terror attacks on the Paris offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store. A police officer was also shot dead by a militant between those attacks.
“Once again we are under attack,” Hollande said in a national television address. “The terrorists want to scare us and instill fear,” he said. “There are reasons to be afraid, but the nation knows how to defend itself and mobilize its forces and how to defeat the terrorists.”
Hollande convened a special security session Saturday morning and he promised France would be “merciless” with those behind the attacks.
Near the Bataclan concert hall, at the Best Western Saint Martin Bastille, receptionist Samir Bedi said hotel guests rushed into his lobby as the attacks began. They saw a man in a ski mask in the street, heard gunshots and ran away, he said.
“I stayed calm,” said Bedi. “I wanted to protect the clients, so I took them to shelter — the downstairs restaurant.”
In the restaurant, they read the news on their smartphones and realized a terror attack was taking place. They hunkered down and, like many Parisians, remained glued to the news for much of the night.
Leaders around the world expressed their condemnation.
In Washington, President Obama called the assaults an “attack on all humanity and the universal values we all share.” He added it was a “heartbreaking situation” and said he did not want to speculate about who may be responsible for the tragedy.
Obama called Hollande to offer his condolences and to restate “the United States’ steadfast, unwavering support for the people of France” whom he called “our oldest ally and friend.” The leaders promised to work together to defeat the “scourge of terrorism.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed their shock.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with French President Francois Hollande and with the people of France in our common battle against terrorism.”
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that in a message to Hollande, President Hassan Rouhani strongly condemned the attacks “on behalf of the Iranian nation who are victims of the evil phenomenon of terrorism.”
Rouhani postponed trips to Italy and France that were due to begin Saturday, the news agency reported.
President Obama delivered a statement on the terrorist attack in Paris on Friday and called the act an “attack on all humanity.” VPC
Police officials in France on Friday reported a shootout in a restaurant and an explosion in a bar near a Paris stadium. It was unclear if the events were linked but several are reported dead. (Nov. 13) AP
At least 35 people were killed Friday in shootings and explosions around Paris, many of them in a popular concert hall where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said. (Nov. 13)AP
Two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany friendly football match.
Nov. 13 — Two explosions were heard from a Paris stadium during France-Germany soccer match, the AP said. Bloomberg’s Mark Crumpton has the latest on “What’d You Miss?” Bloomberg
- Obama: Attack on Paris is ‘attack on all humanity’
Raw: French Police say Paris shootout, explosion- Raw: Police Near Paris Hostage Scene
- Raw: Numerous Dead in Paris Attacks
- Dozens Killed in Separate Terror Attacks in Paris
- At Least 18 Dead in Multiple Paris Attacks: AP
