Terrorist attacks in France: 129 dead

On Friday the 13th, seven terrorist attacks occurred in Paris at once. Unknown people took hostage visitors to the Bataclan concert hall, where at that time there were 1500 people.

In addition, several explosions were heard near the Stade de France stadium in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, where a friendly match between the national teams of France and Germany was taking place. French President Francois Hollande, who was present at the match, was urgently evacuated. At least two of the three explosions were carried out by suicide bombers.

Also in 10 and 11 districts, armed men opened fire on passersby and restaurant visitors, including terrorists who spread people in the restaurant Le Petit Cambodge and near the shopping center Les Halles.

What is known about the terrorist attacks in Paris:

• Among those killed in the terrorist attack in France were American citizens.
• The Islamic State terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris. In the statement of the IG, France was named one of the main goals. It also said that eight terrorists participated in the series of attacks.
• The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the death of 129 people as a result of a series of terrorist attacks, and 300 were injured.
• Earlier, the Paris mayor's office stated that the death toll as a result of the terrorist attacks in the city reached 153 people. Of these, about a hundred people were killed in the Bataclan concert hall, in which the criminals took people hostage. During the assault by Bataclan police, three terrorists were killed. Several dozen more people died in Paris in the early hours of armed attacks and bombings, including in restaurants and near the Stade de France stadium.
• French President Francois Hollande made a speech at the Bataclan concert hall. He called it an "unprecedented terrorist attack" and added: "It's terrible." He also promised to fight terrorists: “We will not be broken, we will take the fight and fight.”
• Some airlines cancel or delay flights to Paris. For example, American Airlines suspended flights to France.
• In France, a state of emergency was imposed and borders were closed, police squads were reinforced in the center of the city, to which military forces were added.
• Facebook has offered its users a “Friends are Safe” service, thanks to which users in Paris can report their location.
• The French created the hashtag #PorteOuverte (translated into Russian as “open doors”) for those who are now in Paris and want to find a safe place as soon as possible. “People immediately cooperated and created the hashtag #porteouverte. They offer overnight accommodation to everyone who finds themselves on the street,” Paris resident Julia Vrillot told Forum.”
• Paris residents are asked not to go out.
• On Saturday, all public places will be closed in Paris - museums, schools, libraries, fitness centers, swimming pools, and food markets, official Twiiter Paris accounts say.

Data on the number of attackers at the concert hall vary. Some media reports about one or two criminals, others about five or six. According to one French journalist, when the hostages were taken, the attackers talked about Syria.

It is reported that the shooting in the theater building began an hour after the start of the concert of the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal.

The Bataclan club is not far from the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo magazine and in the very place where in January on the March of the Republic dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attack, the leaders of the states who arrived in Paris began their movement.

US President Barack Obama expressed support for the French people in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

“This is a heartbreaking situation, and those of us in the United States know what it is because we have been through it many times,” Obama said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was one of the first to offer his condolences, publishing messages in Ukrainian and French on his Twitter.

“Deeply shocked by the tragedy in Paris. Terrorism is our common enemy. We stand in solidarity with the citizens of France,” Poroshenko said.

Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency and closed the borders of the country. Planes that fly to Paris, turn around. The authorities of the capital urge local residents to stay at home or in enclosed spaces.