Friday, November 13, 2015

Two Attackers Killed After Shootings And Explosion Bring Mass Deaths In Paris

At least 35 people died in what appeared to be a series of coordinated shootings and at least one explosion in Paris on Friday evening, police told several media organizations, and more than 100 were taken hostage at a theater.

The death toll is expected to rise significantly.

French special forces laid siege to the Bataclan Concert Hall, where attackers took the audience hostage. Two "terrorists" were killed in the raid, the police union said, and the hostages were freed.

"Following multiple serious events, police recommend in the coming hours that those who find themselves at home, at the homes of loved ones, or in offices inside the Île-de-France area to avoid going out unless absolutely necessary," Paris police said on Twitter.

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President François Hollande said the situation is still unfolding. He declared a state of emergency and closed the nation's borders "to make sure those who committed theses crimes can be stopped if they try to leave the territory."

"Terrorist attacks without precedent are currently taking place," Hollande said. "There are several dozen dead. It's horrifying."

Hollande is heading to the Bataclan along with Prime Minister Manuel Valls and other top cabinet members, Le Monde and AFP reported.

A state of emergency hadn’t been declared in France since the riots of 2005. Schools and Metro lines will be closed tomorrow. There are reports that taxi drivers are driving people away from the scenes for free and people were offering strangers shelter.

President Obama said, “This is not just an attack on Paris, not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity."

There are multiple fronts throughout the city:

* At the Bataclan Concert Hall, at least 15 people were killed, France TV Info reported, and some 100 people have been taken hostage, the AP reported. The Eagles of Death Metal, an American rock band, was scheduled to play at the venue Friday night. The concert hall is located in the 11th arrondissement, a trendy central district.

"Several armed men came into the concert," Julien Pierce, a reporter for Europe 1 who was at the Bataclan during the attack, told the BBC. "Two or three men, not wearing masks, came in with what looked like Kalashnikovs and fired blindly on the crowd. It lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. It was extremely violent and there was panic. The attackers had enough time to reload at least three times. They were very young."

“They said nothing," Pearce said, describing it as a "bloodbath."

"They just shot."

"They shot right into the crowd, shouting Allahu Akba [God is great]" one person who escaped the Bataclan told AFP. Another person who fled the concert venue told AFP they heard someone say, "This is for Syria."

Representatives are still searching for some band members who were playing at the time of the attack.

* At the Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, at least 11 people were killed, the AP reported, but there were no official estimates on the number of fatalities. Witnesses said on social media that the gunman or gunmen used assault rifles. The restaurant is located in the 10th arrondissement, a district that is home to a large and diverse immigrant community.

* At 90 Rue Charonne, witnesses on the scene said on social media that at least six people had died, but there were no official estimates of the number of fatalities. It's located in the 11th arrondissement.

* At the Stade de France, at least three people died after an explosion was detonated outside the stadium, FranceTV Info reports. The French national team was playing a friendly match against Germany. French President François Hollande, who was watching the game, left the stadium to attend an emergency meeting, according to the French Ministry of the Interior. The stadium is located in Saint Denis, a suburb just north of the Paris city limits.

* Another shooting is also reported at Les Halles, a mall in central paris, Reuters reported, citing local media. The GIGN, a heavily armed elite police unit, deployed to the market, Le Monde reported. There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties. It's in the 1st Arrondissement, at the heart of Paris.

Thibault Camus / AP

In a statement, the Élysée Palace, the president’s office, said Hollande's state of emergency across degree across France and Corscia empowered authorities to forbid the movement of people. Paris police later wrote on Twitter that all public street protests were suspended until further notice.

A second decree issued by Hollande empowered authorities to place people under house arrest if their activity was deemed dangerous, temporarily close theaters and meeting places, force people to surrender weapons, and carry out searches, the Élysée Palace said.

The French President had mobilized an additional 1,500 soldiers, the palace said, and called a meeting of his defense council for Saturday morning.

The president’s office added that Hollande would not be attending the upcoming G20 conference in Turkey, and he would instead be represented by his foreign affairs and finance ministers.

The attacks come just months after 11 people were killed at the magazine Charlie Hebdo by two brothers angry about its depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Social media users who said they witnessed the attack said assault rifles were used in the shooting. U.S. officials believe the attacks were coordinated, Reuters reported.

Remy Buisine, a witness at of the shootings, live-streamed the scene via Periscope from Place de la République, a large public square nearby the Bataclan concert hall.

In the live stream, Buisine recorded heavy police presence, and one seeming altercation between police and a number of figures.

In the midst of the recording, police told Buisine to get on the ground. Buisine said he heard multiple gunshots before the video began cutting out. A number of people hiding behind police cars could be seen throughout the recording,

"It's a heavy recollection of what happened in January" referring to the massacre at Charlie Hebdo in Paris," Deputy Paris Mayor Patrick Klugman told NBC. "Now we are struck again. This is harder. I am shaken"

An official fatality count has not been released.

One person on Facebook claimed he was inside the concert hall:

"I am still at the Bataclan. First floor. Seriously wounded. They're giving attack quickly. There are survivors inside. They cut down everyone. One by one. 1st floor soon!" he wrote.

"Alive. Just cuts... Carnage... Dead bodies everywhere.."

French Senator Nathalie Goulet told France 24 TV that the terrorist attacks were a “nightmare…there’s no other word.”

She also said that without a massive surge in cross border cooperation in terms of intelligence sharing and other resources, “it’s not possible” to insulate France from the sort of terrorist attack seen Friday night.

Goulet said intelligence officials were “aware” that a terrorist attack would happen at some point, that the assailants rely on the element of surprise, making it nearly impossible to intervene every time.

“Those people just act to kill,” she said.