At least 150 killed in simultaneous Paris attacks Ynetnews Reporters/Latest Update: 11.14.15/Israel News
French President Francois Hollande announces complete closure of borders after gunfire, explosions shake capital; at least 150 killed, wounded unknown.
At least 150 were killed and and unknown number of people were wounded in Paris late Friday night in a string of simultaneous attacks at several different sites.
At least 100 were killed in just one of these locations, discovered when police broke into a down-town concert hall to rescue hostages that were being held there.Three gunmen were killed during the police raid that came a few hours after the initial attack. One attack occurred at a restaraunt where a gunman reportedly opened fire with an AK-47 automatic rifle before blowing himself up. The number of deaths at the site were initially unknown.Eighteen were then killed by gunfire at a seperate, but also centrally-located site. An additional 11 people were killed by gunfire at another site.
Gunfire was also reported from an additional site, but it was initially unclear of there were deaths or wounded at the scene. Two explosions were also heard outside the national soccer stadium from which French President Francois Hollande was evacuated while watching a match.
Suicide bombers were said to have been responsible for at least one of the explosions.
Paris police requested that residents remain in their homes. The high number of casualities in the attacks made them the most deadly in France since World War II.
Some 1,500 security operatives were active in the city center in wake of the attack. US President Barack Obama addressed the attacks in a public statement calling them, “an attack on all of humanity.”
Hollande then addressed the nation on television saying a state of emergency was being declared and that France’s borders would be closed in wake of the attacks. While the state of emergency remains in effect, protests are forbidden in Paris and police have the authority to close any businesses they deem fit.
He also said that security operations were underway with police forces carrying out as assault in the city. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contacted the embassy in Paris and requested that security be boosted as fears continued that the attacks were not over.
Explosions
The US Embassy in Paris also took action, making every effort to account for American citizens in the city, Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement.
Fears that there could be additional attacks overseas inspired New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to state the city was on constant alert and ready for any potential attacks that may follow.
Officials said however, that there was no credible intelligence that the US may be attacked.
Belgium also decided to increase security on their borders, according to Sky News. Rachel Cadars, Itamar Eichner, Roi Kais, Saar Hess, Eyal Lehaman, Yoav Tirush, AFP, Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.
At Least 39 Dead, Dozens Held Hostage as Simultaneous Shootings, Blasts Rock Paris
News Agencies/November 13/15
At least 39 people were killed in an “unprecedented” series of bombings and shootings across Paris on Friday. Police said at least 15 people were killed at the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris, only some 200 meters from the former offices of Charlie Hebdo which were attacked by jihadists in January.
Hostages were taken and at around 2335 GMT, police stormed the venue accompanied by a series of explosions. At least three people were killed near the Stade de France stadium which is situated in the north of the capital, where France were playing Germany in a football match watched by President Francois Hollande. An AFP journalist heard multiple explosions. One explosion was a suicide attack, several sources said. A source close to the investigation said at least 39 people had been killed. “Terrorist attacks of an unprecedented level are underway across the Paris region,” Hollande said in an emotional televised message. “There are several dozen dead. It’s a horror,” he said. One witness at the Bataclan described a scene of carnage at the concert hall. “I saw 20 to 25 bodies lying on the floor and people were very badly injured, gunshot wounds,” Julien Pierce told Europe 1 radio.
“Some of them were dead. Some of them were very badly wounded, but it was a bloodbath.”Hollande declared a state of emergency across the entire country and said the borders had been closed. The military had been mobilized to reinforce police and ensure no further attacks took place, he said. Another attack was reported at a Cambodian restaurant called Petit Cambodge, not far from the Bataclan venue in northeast Paris.
Counter-terrorism prosecutors said they had opened a preliminary investigation.
‘They opened fire’
At the Stade de France, Hollande was attending the match and had to be hastily evacuated. Spectators flooded the pitch as news of the attacks spread before organizers started an evacuation. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, called for residents to stay at home. “We heard gunfire, 30 seconds of fire, it was interminable, we thought it was fireworks,” said Pierre Montfort, who lives near rue Bichat, where the Cambodian restaurant is located. “Everyone was on the floor, no one moved,” said another eyewitness who had been at the Petit Cambodge restaurant. “A girl was carried by a young man in his arms. She appeared to be dead.” The toll “will be much heavier” than the initial confirmed deaths, a security source said. Camille, 25, said: “My sister is in the Bataclan. I phoned her. She said they opened fire. And then she hung up.” An AFP reporter outside the Bataclan said there were police carrying machine-guns and more than 20 police wagons with their lights flashing around the scene. Hollande traveled to the interior ministry to set up a crisis cell with other ministers. “The president of the Republic, the prime minister, the interior minister are in a inter-ministerial crisis cell,” the government said in a statement. The president’s office said an exceptional council of ministers would be called at midnight. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union chief Jean-Claude Juncker said they were “deeply shocked” by the attacks. France has been on high alert since the jihadist attacks in January against the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Jewish supermarket that left 17 dead. Several other attacks have been foiled through the year. 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.The government announced last week that it was restoring border checks as a security measure for U.N. climate talks that start in Paris at the end of this month.
Paris attacks: France shutting borders after deadly attacks, hostage-taking
CBCCBC – CANADA NEWS »13.11/15
Gunfire and explosions are being heard outside a Paris concert hall where several people were killed and dozens taken hostage as part of multiple deadly attacks around the French capital on Friday that killed that least 35. French President François Hollande said security forces are assaulting one of the sites hit by Friday’s attacks, but didn’t provide details. Earlier reports said around 100 people were being held hostage at Bataclan, a concert venue in the 11th arrondissement in central Paris and that at least 15 people had been killed at the site. The series of attacks prompted Hollande to announce the country was shutting its borders and declaring a state of emergency. Hollande announced he had deployed military around Paris. Exact death tolls were still changing and ranged from 35 to 60, with Hollande saying several dozen people had been killed. “It’s a horror,” Hollande said in a televised statement.
He said the country needs to stand in solidarity and remain calm despite the attacks. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement saying he was “shocked and saddened that so many people have been killed and injured.””As the situation continues to unfold, Sophie and I join all Canadians in extending our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed. It is our sincere hope that the hostages are freed unharmed as soon as possible,” the statement said. “We also wish a speedy recovery to all those who have been injured. “Canada stands with France at this dark time and offers all possible assistance. We will continue to work closely with the international community to help prevent these terrible, senseless acts. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of France and we mourn their loss.”
Several attack sites
The attacks occurred at multiple sites in several neighbourhoods in the French capital. At least two explosions were heard near the Stade de France stadium, north of Paris, where a France-Germany friendly soccer match was taking place. According to reports, Hollande was at the game and was evacuated from the stadium soon after reports of the attacks emerged. There was another report of a shooting happening at Les Halles, a shopping mall in central Paris. A police official said 11 people were killed in a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement. An Associated Press reporter who was in the stadium Friday night heard two explosions loud enough to penetrate the sounds of cheering fans. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead. The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks. Emilioi Macchio, from Ravenna, Italy, was at the Carillon bar near the restaurant that was targeted, having a beer on the sidewalk when the shooting started. He said he didn’t see any gunmen or victims, but hid behind a corner then ran away. “It sounded like fireworks,” he said.
U.S. President Barack Obama described the incident as “outrageous attacks” on “our closest ally.” “Obviously, those of us here in the United States know what it’s like. We have gone through these kinds of episodes ourselves. “And whenever these kinds of attacks happened, we’ve always been able to count on the French people to stand with us. They have been an extraordinary counter-terrorism partner. And we intend to be there with them in that same fashion.”
