The morning after a truly tragic Friday the 13th, France wakes up to the following front pages [10], among which one which best captures the atmosphere in Paris at this moment: "war in Paris":
[11]
Here is the latest summary of the aftermath from last night's six distinct attacks across Paris, compiled from numerous media outlets [12]:
- At least 127 people are feared to have been killed according to French president Hollande in a series of devastating attacks across Paris.
- Among the dead are at least two Belgians, two Romanians and a Swedish citizen, with UK prime minister David Cameron warning British casualties are likely.
- Eight attackers also died, police say, seven of them by detonating explosive suicide belts.
- Police continue to search for accomplices who might still be at large.
- Two hundred people were injured, 80 of them seriously.
- Shootings and explosions were reported in six locations across the city, including the Stade de France in northern Paris, where two suicide attacks and a bombing took place as the national team played Germany in a friendly football match.
- The majority of victims died after a mass shooting inside the Bataclan concert venue.
- Shootings also took place in restaurants and other sites in the centre of the city.
- President François Hollande, who was at the Stade de France at the time of the assaults, said: "We are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow."
- A state of emergency has been declared across France and security at the country’s borders has been tightened.
- Paris residents have been told to stay in their homes and authorities say “all of the city’s amenities”, including schools, universities, museums, libraries, gyms, swimming pools and markets, will close on Saturday.
- US president Barack Obama described the atrocities as “an attack on all of humanity”. Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the attack “appears to have all the hallmarks of a Daesh [Islamic State] exercise”.
- Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has cancelled his official visit to France, due to take place next week, in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
- UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned "the despicable terrorist attacks carried out in various locations in and around Paris" and demanded "the immediate release of the numerous individuals reportedly being held hostage in the Bataclan theater";
- The Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, has urged his citizens to avoid going to Paris unless “strictly necessary”. He added that security will be stepped up at public events in Belgium.
- Paris Deputy Mayor said it is a "terrible, terrible situation ... a tragedy we are facing."
- Syrian president al-Assad also condemned the attack: "What France suffered from savage terror is what the Syrian people have been enduring for over five years."
- Police have raided a Brussels neighbourhood where three of the attackers are believed to have lived, and made a number of arrests.
One of the attackers at the Bataclan is understood to be a 30-year-old French national, who was known to French police because of links to Islamic radicals. - A Syrian and an Egyptian passport were found on the bodies of the two suicide bombers who targeted the Stade de France.
- The Syrian passport belonged to a refugee who passed through Greece, according to a Greek minister.
- German authorities say they have ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ a man arrested in Bavaria earlier this month, in a car loaded with explosives, may be linked to the Paris attacks.
Where the attacks took place:
The attacks were launched in six separate locations across the city – five in the 10th and 11th arrondissements, and one close to the Stade de France, in the north of the city, where president François Hollande was attending a football match between the French and German teams. The map below highlights the most prominent ones:
[13]
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How the attacks unfolded [14]:
- Stade de France - Bombings
Blasts were heard near the stadium in the north of Paris around 9.30pm local time on Friday. Police later confirmed there were three simultaneous bombings, including two suicide attacks, near the stadium as France played Germany in a friendly match.
French President Francois Hollande, who was at the game, left immediately. A prosecutor said people there had been fatalities, but did not confirm the number. A police union official said three people had died.
The blasts occurred near two of the stadium entrances and at a nearby McDonald's restaurant.
- Restaurant And Bar - Shooting
Around 10:30pm, there were reports of a shooting at a restaurant on Rue Alibert in the 10th arrondissement, about five miles away from the Stade de France.
At least 14 people were later confirmed dead in the rampage at Le Carillon, a bar-cafe, and the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge.
Witnesses said gunmen armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles fired at victims through the plate-glass windows.
- Bataclan Concert Hall - Bombings And Shooting
By 11pm reports emerged that the popular music venue on Boulevard Voltaire in the nearby 11th arrondissement was under attack.
Early reports suggested 15 people had been shot dead in the concert hall, where American band Eagles of Death Metal was due to play. Dozens of hostages were taken inside the venue.
A short time later, security forces launched an assault on the theatre. The two attackers were killed after detonating explosive belts. It now appears more than 80 concert-goers were killed in the venue. Initial reports suggested 120 people were killed.
According to Guardian, the attackers first sprayed cafes outside the concert hall with machine gunfire, then went inside and opened fire on the panicked audience, according to the Paris police chief. As police closed in, three of them detonated suicide vests, killing themselves and setting off explosions.
Several people inside the venue survived the massacre. The band was also confirmed as safe.
One person was also killed on Boulevard Voltaire, not far from the venue
- Cafe - Shooting
Less than a mile from the concert hall, at least 18 diners sitting on outdoor terraces at La Belle Equipe in the popular Charonne area were shot dead. Emergency workers covered bodies on the pavement outside the traditional Parisian cafe.
Le Carillon, a bar-cafe, and the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge were apparently both targeted with gunfire, killing around 14 people and leaving several gravely injured, according to the prosecutor. They are at the junction of Rue Bichat and Rue Alibert.
Witnesses described sounds like fireworks, before they realised the gravity of the situation and tried to find a place to hide, or flee.
- Pizzeria - Shooting
Five people were killed in La Casa Nostra pizzeria on Rue de la Fontaine au Roi in the 11th arrondissement.
Witnesses reported seeing a man firing a machine gun.
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The latest death toll
Latest information says that at least 120 people are believed to have been killed in six separate attacks across the city. Two hundred people are injured, 80 seriously.
- At the Bataclan concert venue, 87 people have been reported dead.
- At the Stade de France, the Paris prosecutor François Molins said “some” were killed, possibly three. (It is not clear whether this include the attackers thought to have died here.)
- At the shootings at the Rue de Charonne, 18 are dead.
- At Boulevard Voltaire, one person is dead.
- At Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, five are dead.
- At Rue Alibert, 14 are dead and “many seriously injured”.
Police say they continue to hunt for any possible accomplices to the attacks. No one has yet claimed responsibility.
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Attackers Killed
Eight extremists involved in the attacks have been killed, the prosecutor said. Seven died in suicide bombings, while the other was killed in the concert hall. Some witnesses in the hall said they heard the gunmen shout Islamic chants and slogans condemning France's role in Syria.
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Attackers still not identified
We sill do not know the identities or nationalities of the attackers involved in the Friday night attacks, though authorities say eight died, seven of them detonating suicide bombs and the final perpetrator shot by police.
Prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre has told AP police have not ruled out the possibility that accomplices may still be at large and that is the focus of the investigation now.
Britain is hold its own emergency meeting of the COBRA intelligence committee, called by prime minster David Cameron.
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Hollande Blames Attack on Islamic State
The French president has made an impassioned statement after the emergency security meeting this morning, where he blamed the attack on Islamic State.
Hollande said 127 people were killed in the attacks, which he described as an “act of war”. He said the attacks were co-ordinated, planned and organised from abroad with assistance from inside France.
“I pay homage to the country’s defenders who fought the terrorists yesterday,” he said. “Everyone has given their utmost and will be putting in their best efforts in the day to come.”
He called the attack “cowardly’ and said every measure would be taken to fight “the terrorist menace.”
"In this most serious and uncertain time, I call for unity and courage,” he said, adding that he would address the French parliament on Monday.
“Even if France is wounded, she will rise,” he said. The country will observe three days of mourning.
Hollande's full remarks from his address to the nation earlier from the Élysée Palace.
What happened yesterday in Paris and in Saint Denis is an act of war and this country needs to make the right decisions to fight this war. This act committed by the terrorist army, Islamic State, is against who we are, against a free country that speaks to the whole world.
It is an act of war prepared and planned outside, with outside involvement which this investigation will seek to establish. It is an act of absolute barbarism. France will be ruthless in its response to Islamic State.
At this painful and serious time, which is such a decisive one for our country, I call for unity, for a collective spirit and for cool heads. I will address Parliament at Versailles on Monday.
France is strong, and even if she is wounded, she will rise once again. Even if we are in grief, nothing will destroy her.
France is strong, valiant and will defeat this barbarism. History reminds us of this and the strength we today bear to come together convinces us of this.
My compatriots, what we defend is our homeland and much more than that, it is our own values of humanity and France will bear its responsibilities.
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Islamic State takes responsibility for Paris attacks
Shortly after Hollande's announcement blaming the Islamic State,in an official statement by ISIS, the group said France is the “top target” of the group.
It says it carefully studied the locations for the attacks, which were carried out by fighters wearing suicide belts and carrying machine guns.
Here’s the statement in French [15].
In the statement Islamic State said “soldiers of Caliphate has targeted the capital of abomination and perversion.”
Eight brothers carrying explosive belts and guns targeted areas in the heart of the French capital that were specifically chosen in advance: the Stade de France during a match against Germany which that imbecile Francois Hollande was attending; the Bataclan where hundreds of idolaters were together in a party of perversity as well as other targets in the 10th, 11th and 18th arrondissement
France and those who follow its path must know that they remain the principle targets of the Islamic State.
The statement from Islamic State goes on to call the attacks a response to insults directed at the Prophet Mohammed, as well as airstrikes by France on Islamic State-held territory.
The militant group says France is the Islamic State’s key target:
...having dared insult our Prophet, having bragged about fighting Islam in France and striking Muslims in the Caliphate with their planes which have not helped them in any way in the ill-smelling streets of Paris.
This attack is just the start of a storm and a warning for those who wish to draw lessons.
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Global Consequences of Attacks
According to FT [16], the immediate policy and political questions concern French involvement in the Middle East - as well as the impact of the attack on next month’s regional elections.
The terrorists are reported to have shouted comments about the war in Syria. France launched its first airstrikes on ISIS in Syria in September and has been involved in bombing raids on ISIS in Iraq for many months.
It is highly unlikely that President Francois Hollande will respond to the terror attacks by calling off French involvement in the war on ISIS. Indeed, in the short term, an intensification of military involvement is more likely.
The reaction of French voters will be watched closely. Next month, they go to the polls in regional elections. There were already opinion surveys that suggested that Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, will win in the Nord-Pas de Calais region - while her niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen has also topped some polls in the Provence region in the South.
The National Front - which has a long history of hostility to Muslim immigration and which has also argued for the restoration of frontier controls - may well benefit in the aftermath of the attacks. Some of its arguments were, in any case, already seeping into the discourse of the traditional centre-right parties.
The terror attacks in Paris also come at a time when Europe is in the midst of a “migrant crisis”. With Germany set to receive over 1m refugees this year - most of them from the war-torn Middle East - the domestic pressure on Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, to close her country’s borders to new migrants was already mounting. Even before the Paris attacks Sweden - which has taken more migrants per head than any other EU country - had announced a closure of its borders to new refugees, albeit as a temporary measure. In the aftermath of Paris, the German chancellor, will surely be tempted to take a similar measure, so easing the political and social pressure on her government. But Mrs Merkel will also be aware of the dangerous knock-on effects, such an action could have on Balkan countries further down the migrant route.
One possible consequence would be for Western policy to focus even more tightly on the defeat of the jihadists of Islamic State - while playing down subsidiary goals, such as the removal of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. But France has been in the forefront of those countries arguing that Assad is at the centre of the problem of Syria. A complete reversal of the anti-Assad policy seems unlikely in the coming weeks. What is more likely is that policy will evolve in the coming months, as the impact, lessons and sheer shock of the Paris terror attacks is absorbed.
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Le Monde journalist Daniel Psenny, whose apartment overlooks the emergency exit of the Bataclan has posted an extraordinary video, of people clambering out of windows to escape from the theatre – a scene he said reminded him of 9/11.
The video is graphic and includes images of what appear to be dead bodies.
Psenny himself was shot in the arm as he attempted to help people shelter in his apartment, and is being treated at the Georges-Pompidou hospital.
Here’s a translation of his piece from Le Monde [17].
I was trying to do some work at home. The TV was on, playing a cop film starring Jean-Hugues Anglade. I heard a noise which sounded like firecrackers and initially I was convinced that it was in the film. But the noise was so loud, I went to the window. I live on the second floor and my apartment overlooks the emergency exit of the Bataclan.
Sometimes there are evacuations [in the past], but everyone was running out from all directions. I saw people on the floor, and blood... I understood then that it was something serious. I asked passersby what was happening. Everyone was running toward the Rue Amelot or the boulevard Voltaire.
A woman was clinging to the window of the Bataclan, on the second floor. I thought of those images from September 11.
So, I told myself I was going to open up to people, so they could come and take refuge. Therefore, I opened the door to my apartment. There was a man lying on the pavement and an another man whom I did not see again, he was shot as he was trying to take shelter in the lobby.
That’s the moment I took a bullet. I don’t remember much after that, I have a blank, but I remember feeling like a firecracker had exploded in my left arm and I saw that it was pissing blood. I think the shooter was at the window of the Bataclan. I went up to some neighbours on the fourth floor.
The guy we did get in [to the apartment] was shot in the leg. He was an American. He vomited, he was cold and we thought he was going to die. We called the emergency services but they couldn’t get us out. I called a friend who is a doctor and she explained how to make a tourniquet with my shirt. We were stuck in the apartment until the police raid occurred and they came to find us.
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Below are some of the most dramatic scene from yesterday's tragedy captured by Bloomberg [18]:
Forensic police search for evidences inside the Comptoir Voltaire cafe at the site of an attack in Paris on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Forensic police search for evidences inside the La Belle Equipe cafe on rue de Charonne at the site of an attack in Paris on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Forensic police search for evidences inside the La Belle Equipe cafe on rue de Charonne at the site of an attack in Paris on Saturday, Nov. 14.
French President Francois Hollande, center, flanked by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, left, and French Prime Minister manuel Valls addresses reporters near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris in the early morning of Saturday, Nov. 14.
Police forces, firefighters and rescue workers secure the area near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris in the early morning of Saturday, Nov. 14.
Investigating police officers work outside the Stade de France stadium, in Saint Denis, outside Paris, Friday Nov. 13.
French security moves people in the area of Rue Bichat of the 10th arrondissement in Paris on Friday, Nov. 13.
Victims lay on the pavement outside a restaurant in Paris on Friday, Nov. 13.
Spectators gather on the pitch of the Stade de France stadium following the friendly football match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Friday, Nov. 13