Police officials in Paris have said more than 100 people were killed on Friday night in the deadliest attack on France since WWII.
Three terrorists were killed by police, according to news channel BFMTV.
The coordinated attacks, which began after 9:15 p.m. local time, saw multiple explosions and shootings at seven sites across the city at restaurants, soccer stadium and a concert hall.
At least 100 people were being held hostage by gunmen at the Bataclan theater, where the California-based Eagles of Death Metal band were performing a sold-out concert. Gunfire could be heard from inside the theater late Friday. The hostage situation ended around 1 a.m. and witnesses told CNN that at least 20 bodies on the floor of the venue. Some witnesses have said the scene inside the Bataclan was a “carnage.”
The attacks in the 11th district around the Bataclan occurred about two hundred meters from Charlie Hebdo’s newsroom which was attacked by terrorists on Jan.7 and killed 12 people.
France president Francois Hollande, appearing visibly shocked during a live press conference, called it an “unprecedented terrorist attack” (…) a horror.” He also launched a State of Emergency and urged that France’s borders be shut down.
Hollande had been evacuated earlier Friday night from Stade de France, the country’s national stadium, after three explosions rocked the football arena during a friendly match between France and Germany. The stadium reportedly has been put on lockdown and is being evacuated in sections.
Although the suspects have not yet been identified, witnesses inside the Bataclan reported that the shooters screamed “This is for Syria, this is for Syria” before gunning down patrons.
Local channel France 24 reports that at least six shootouts were perpetrated by gunmen across Paris.
“This isn’t just an attack on France…It’s an attack on all of humanity,” he said.
France’s Canal Plus reported that the attack outside of the Stade de France was executed by two suicide bombers and that the bombs were crudely built with nails.
Paris officials have told local citizens to stay indoors as the city remains on high alert.
