Police: At least 120 dead in Paris attacks

PARIS (AP) – The latest on shootings and explosions in Paris. (all times local):

2:39 a.m.

French police say they believe all of the attackers involved shootings and bombings in Paris are dead.

Micheal Cadot, the head of Paris police said Saturday that while all of the attackers are believed to have died, authorities are searching for possible accomplices in the attacks that left over 120 people dead.

2:33 a.m.

Police in the U.S. capital have sent extra officers to the French Embassy and other France-related sites and high-profile locations after the attacks in Paris.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release Friday night that the moves were being made out of an abundance of caution and that there is no imminent threat to the District.

The department says Chief Cathy Lanier has been in contact with federal and regional law enforcement officials since the attacks began.

2:16 a.m.

The Paris police prefect said the attackers at the Bataclan rock venue blew themselves up with suicide belts as police closed in, killing four people. He said the gunmen first sprayed cafes outside the venue with machine gunfire, then went inside the concert hall and killed more before the assaullt by security forces.

The prefect, Michel Cadot, said the one set of attackers was at the stadium and at nearly the same time the second group attacked within the city.

Cadot said all the attackers are believed dead, although authorites are hunting for any possible accomplices.

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2:10 a.m.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who was in Paris when the attacks took place, says he is suspending the broadcast of an event he was holding there.

“Out of solidarity with the French people and the City of Paris, we have decided to suspend our broadcast of 24 Hours of Reality and Live Earth. Our thoughts are with all who have been affected and the entire nation of France. We send our condolences to the families of those who have been killed or injured.”

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1:59 a.m.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the U.S. stands “in solidarity with France, as it has stood with us so often in the past.

“This is a devastating attack on our shared values and we at the Department of Justice will do everything within our power to assist and work in partnership with our French law enforcement colleagues,” Lynch said in a statement.

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1:53 a.m.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York is constantly on alert for coordinated terror attacks, especially in the wake of an attack in Paris that has killed dozens.

De Blasio said in an interview with WABC-TV on Friday the attack was not only sobering, but a reminder that police officials need to be prepared and vigilant for a possible follow-up attack.

Police have stressed there is “no indication that the attack has any nexus to New York City.”

Officers have been deployed to various locations in the city, including French government buildings.

French officials say several dozen people have been killed in shootings and explosions at a theater, restaurant and elsewhere in Paris.
1:37 a.m.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is describing the attacks in Paris as “heinous, evil” and “vile,” calling them “an assault on our common humanity.”

Kerry says the U.S. embassy in Paris is “making every effort to account for the welfare of American citizens in the city.”

The State Department says U.S. citizens can contact 1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S.) or 202-501-4444 (from other countries) for assistance.

Kerry says the U.S. stands ready “to provide whatever support the French government may require.”

Kerry was speaking from Vienna, where he is scheduled to attend talks Saturday on the crisis in Syria.

Vice President Joe Biden calls the attacks “heartbreaking” and “outrageous” and says, “Such savagery can never threaten who we are.”

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1:29 a.m.

Tens of thousands of people join the football players at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires in offering tribute to the dead and wounded in Paris before the start of a World Cup qualifying match between Argentina and Brazil.

With players standing on the field Friday night, the crowd in the stands fell silent for a minute in acknowledging the bloodshed in the French capital. Some applauded as the tribute ended.

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1:25 a.m.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins says the death toll in attacks at six sites around the French capital could exceed 120.

Speaking near a popular music venue where scores of people were taken hostage, Molins said early Saturday that five attackers may have been killed.

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1 a.m.

The French president has formally declared the state of emergency on all mainland territory and Corsica during a Cabinet meeting urgently summoned at the Elysee palace on Friday night.

Under French law, the state of emergency can be decided in the event of “imminent danger following serious breaches of law and order.”

The state of emergency allows state authorities to forbid the movement of persons and vehicles at specific times and places. They can also define protected areas and safety areas where the movement of persons is controlled.

The state of emergency also allows police to perform house searches day and night -instead of performing them only at daylight.

12:45 a.m.

Twitter accounts linked to jihadists are celebrating the attacks in Paris.

According to the SITE Intelligence Group tracking militant sites, Twitter posts attributed to jihadist supporters are speculating which group may be responsible. Many users expressed belief that the Islamic Group could be behind the carnage.

They used Arabic-language hashtags that translated to “Paris on fire” and “Caliphate state strikes France.”

SITE says that accounts also circulated pictures of the attacks, and one pro-IS channel accused France of sending warplanes to bomb Syria and says “today it drinks from the same cup.”

12:20 a.m.

A French police official says at least 100 people have been killed inside a Paris concert hall where attackers seized hostages. The hostage-taking was one in a series of at least six attacks across the French capital.

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12 a.m.

Two Paris police officials say security forces have ended their assault on a concert hall filled with hostages, killing at least two attackers. Neither official could be named, citing ongoing operations throughout the city.

One official described “carnage” inside the building, saying the attackers had tossed explosives at the hostages. Both officials said they expected the toll of victims to rise.
11:45 p.m.

World leaders have expressed shock at the violence in Paris.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is “deeply shaken by the news and pictures that are reaching us from Paris.” The German leader issued a statement saying her thoughts were with the victims “of the apparent terrorist attack.”

The Secretary-General of the NATO alliance says he is “deeply shocked by horrific Paris attacks.”

Jens Stoltenberg said in a Twitter message that “We stand together with the people of #France. Terrorism will never defeat democracy.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is condemning “the despicable terrorist attacks” in Paris and is demanding the immediate release of numerous hostages being held in the Bataclan theater.

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11:35 p.m.

Three police officials confirm that security forces have launched an assault on the Paris concert hall where hostages have been taken.

None of the officials could be named when discussing the ongoing operation, which several officials said involved dozens of hostages.

The Paris police prefecture told resident to remain home and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.

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11:30 p.m.

Automatic gunfire and blasts have rung out from the area of a Paris music hall where police say people are being held hostage.

Scores of police are surrounding the Bataclan concert hall, and sirens are wailing throughout the neighborhood.

The gunfire began soon after French President Francois Hollande said security forces were launching an assault on one of several sites targeted in attacks Friday night around Paris.

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11:20 p.m.

A police union official says there were two suicide attacks and a bombing near the national stadium where France and Germany were playing a friendly match.

The official, Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area of the stadium, said there were at least three dead in the attacks near the stadium, near two of the entrances and a McDonalds restaurant.

He said the explosions went off simultaneously. He did not provide more details.

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11.10 p.m.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, some terrorism experts say the Islamic State group is likely responsible.

Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert and senior adviser to the president of RAND Corp., said the extremist group is clearly the name at the top of everyone’s list.” He said this was because the tactic used – “multiple attackers in coordinated attacks at multiple locations” – echoed recommendations published in extremist group’s online magazine,

James Woolsey, a former director of the CIA in 1993-195 and now chancellor at the Institute of World Politics, also told the BBC he suspected the Islamic State because the coordinated nature of the attacks required government-style planning.

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11:05 p.m.

President Barack Obama is calling the attacks on Paris “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians” and is vowing to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said he would not speculate about who was responsible.

He called the attacks a “heartbreaking situation” and an “attack on all of humanity.”

Obama was briefed on the attacks Friday by his counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco.

The attacks come as the president is preparing for two trips abroad. He’s slated to leave Saturday for a nine-day trip to Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia. He due to travel to Paris for climate change talks at the end of the month.

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11:00 p.m.

French President Francois Hollande says he is closing the country’s borders and declaring a state of emergency after several dozen people were killed in a series of unprecedented terrorist attacks.

Hollande, in a televised address to his nation, said the nation would stand firm and united against the attackers.

He said security forces are assaulting one of the sites hit by Friday’s attacks, without elaborating.

“It’s a horror,” he said.

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10:50 p.m.

British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is “shocked” by the Paris attacks and violence.

Cameron said on Twitter “Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.”

French police say at least 35 were killed in multiple acts of violence took place in Paris Friday night, including shootings at restaurants and a hostage-taking at a music theater.

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10:40 p.m.

A White House official says President Barack Obama has been briefed on the attacks in Paris.

The official says counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco briefed the president. The official was not authorized to talk about the private discussion and demanded anonymity.

Obama is slated to travel to Paris at the end of the month to attend a United Nations conference on climate change.

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10:35 p.m.

Hundreds of people spilled onto the field of the Stade de France stadium after explosions were heard nearby during a friendly match between the French and German national soccer teams.

A stadium announcer made an announcement over the loudspeaker after the match, telling fans to avoid certain exits “due to events outside,” without elaborating.

At first that prompted some panic, but then the crowds just walked dazed, hugging each other and looking at their phones for the latest news of the violence.

Many appeared hesitant to leave amid the uncertainty after France’s deadliest attacks in decades.

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10:22

Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff says it is too early to know exactly what was happening in Paris.

Social media posts from purported ISIS supporters could indicate that “there was a group waiting for this, but it could be a group watching,” Chertoff said in an interview with MSNBC Friday night.

“I don’t think we can say this proves anything, but again it supports the idea that it’s terrorism,” Chertoff said.

John Cohen, a former Homeland Security Department counterterrorism coordinator, say the presence of multiple attack scenes at the same time suggested a coordinated effort to “send a message” and raises immediate terror concerns, including for other cities in Europe and potentially the United States as well. He said both Al Qaida and ISIS have relied on the strategy of coordinated attacks in the past.

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10:14 p.m.

A Paris police official said there were at least 100 hostages in a Paris theater following shooting and explosions at two cites in the city.

Multiple officials, including one medical official, put the number of dead at between 35 to 40 people.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

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10:10 p.m.

U.S. Homeland Security Department officials monitoring the attacks in Paris say there is no known, credible threat against the United States.

DHS officials are in contact with their foreign counterparts amid reports of multiple shootings and explosions in Paris.

Police officials in France say at least 26 people have been killed and a hostage-taking situation is underway at a theater.

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10:00 p.m.

Two police officials say that at least 26 people have been killed in shootings and explosions around Paris, in the deadliest violence in France in decades.

One of the police officials said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement and about 15 killed in the Bataclan theater, where a hostage-taking is under way.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

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As news of bloodshed filtered through the crowd and police sirens wailed outside, thousands of soccer fans milled around the Stade de France, reluctant to leave the seemingly safe stadium.

The spectators didn’t panic, despite hearing the sounds of explosions from outside – part of the carnage unfolding in the city that left dozens killed in multiple acts of violence. But there was plenty of unease and tension.

During the first half of France’s soccer match against Germany on Friday, two explosions went off nearby. The first, at around 9:20 p.m., was a short and crisp bang.

“We heard them, but we thought they were home-made devices or fireworks,” soccer fan Frederic Lavergne told The Associated Press as he left the stadium. “We had no idea at the time what it was.”

The next “bang” followed only minutes later, clearly audible as it ripped through the chill air.

The noise inside the stadium was low at that point, since there was little excitement in the game, and the sounds of the sirens outside were loud and clear. So was the whirling sounds of the police helicopter buzzing overhead.

By the end of the match, which France won 2-0, the mood was one of silent contemplation as news filtered in through mobile phones and social networks relaying the carnage outside.

What would otherwise have been a celebration of France’s win became a night of worry. Some people were still singing near the end, but for most a sickening feeling had taken over.

Moments after the referee had blown his final whistle, hundreds of fans started streaming onto the field. At first, match stewards in their fluorescent tops surely were confused by the commotion. But it was soon clear that the fans just wanted to go onto the field, rather than face going outside.

“We preferred to stay on the field, that’s where we felt safest,” Lavergne said. “We had difficulty understanding the explanations inside the stadium.”

After a second public address announcement reassuring fans that it was safe to leave and to take public transport, fans started moving out.

France will host the European Championship next year, and Friday’s match was one of a handful of games remaining for coach Didier Deschamps to test the national team before the tournament.

There will now be doubts as to whether it will be safe to host the tournament, with 24 teams involved in matches across the country.

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