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Paris attacks: shootings and explosions leave scores dead Paris attacks: shootings and explosions leave scores dead
(34 minutes later)
At least 40 people have died and up to 100 have been taken hostage in an apparently coordinated series of gun and bomb attacks in Paris, according to police and reports. At least 49 people have died and up to 60 people have been injured in an apparently coordinated series of gun and bomb attacks in Paris.
The attacks included a series of explosions near the Stade de France football ground where France were playing Germany, as well as shootings inside a restaurant and at a concert venue in the east of the French capital. About 100 people have reportedly been taken hostage at a theatre after the French capital was hit by a series of attacks.
A police official confirmed one explosion in a bar near the stadium. It is unclear whether there were casualties there. Declaring a state of emergency and closing the country’s borders, president Francois Hollande said there were “unprecedented terror attacks under way in Paris” and called an emergency cabinet meeting. Authorities in Paris warned people to leave public events and stay in doors if possible.Officials said shots were fired in at least two restaurants and at least two explosions were heard near the Stade de France stadium, where the national side were playing Germany in a football match.
French media reported at least 40 people confirmed dead. About 15 of the victims were reported killed at the Bataclan concert hall, with French TV saying up to two gunmen began firing during a concert by the US rock band Eagles of Death Metal. A large number of people at the venue were reported as being held hostage. A police official told AP that two of the incidents near the stadium involved suicide attacks.Around the same time another shootout took place near the Bataclan concert theatre in the neighbouring 11th arrondissement, close to where the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper took place in January.
France’s president, François Hollande, was attending the football game when the attacks began. He rushed back to the interior ministry for crisis talks with the prime minister, Manuel Valls, and interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve. France’s president, François Hollande, said later that security forces were mounting an operation in Paris, with reports saying police had stormed the concert hall. Witnesses said some of those inside the building could be seen fleeing.
Witnesses said a number of people had died when gunmen fired inside a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement of the city. A police official said 11 people had died there, with reports saying there were more deaths. The events brought immediate international condemnation, with President Obama calling ot “an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share”.
“I was on my way to my sister’s when I heard shots being fired. Then I saw three people dead on the ground. I know they were dead because they were being wrapped up in plastic bags,” student Fabien Baron told Reuters. French media reported at least 49 people confirmed dead, although some reports suggested there may be as many as 60. About 35 of the victims were reported to have been killed at the Bataclan concert hall, with French TV saying up to two gunmen began firing during a concert by the US rock band Eagles of Death Metal. Citing French police, AFP reports that three people were also killed in an explosion outside the Stade de France. Crowds spilled into the field after the blasts were heard, and the PA announcer asked people to avoid certain exits.
The attacks follow the shootings by Islamist extremists at the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris in January that left 20 people dead, among them three gunmen. The French TV station BFMTV said the gunmen who attacked the Bataclan had shouted “It’s for Syria”, before opening fire.Images taken by people living near the Bataclan showed bodies in the street, covered by sheets thrown down by local residents.A witness called Anna, who lives near the Bataclan, said they heard firing and “threw ourselves on the ground”. In a shaky voice, she told BFMTV. “We saw people running and people with guns. I’ve heard there are 40 deaths. The whole area is sealed off. We don’t know what is happening here. Oh my god there’s a body there. This is horrible.”Witnesses said a number of people had died when gunmen fired inside a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement of the city. A police official said 11 people had died there, with reports saying there were more deaths.“I was on my way to my sister’s when I heard shots being fired. Then I saw three people dead on the ground. I know they were dead because they were being wrapped up in plastic bags,” student Fabien Baron told Reuters.In the rue de Charonne, customers at the Carillon bar and restaurant heard an explosion around 9.20pm local time, and assumed it was a firecracker. Witnesses said a man then appeared and fired a first salvo at the bar and a second at a Vietnamese restaurant, the Petit Cambodge opposite. The man was then reported to have entered Le Carillon and fired “lots of volleys”.Hollande was attending the football game at the Stade de France when the attacks began. He rushed back to the interior ministry for crisis talks with the prime minister, Manuel Valls, and interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, and later called an emergency cabinet meeting.The attacks follow the shootings by Islamist extremists at the office of Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris in January that left 20 people dead, among them three gunmen. Obama said he did not want to speculate on who might have carried out the attacks, but said the US was ready to help “our oldest ally”.
The restaurant targeted on Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same neighbourhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices. “Those who think they can terrorize France or their values are wrong,” he said.
David Cameron said he was shocked by the events. He said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.” “Liberté, égalité and fraternité are values that we share, and they are going to endure far beyond any act of terrorism.”
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said: “My thoughts are with the people of Paris tonight. We stand in solidarity with the French. Such acts are heinous and immoral.” David Cameron said he was shocked by the events: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.” The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said: “My thoughts are with the people of Paris tonight”
Related: Paris: shootings and explosions at restaurant, concert hall and Stade de France – live