PARIS ATTACKS: Two gunmen killed outside Bataclan, siege ends
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Paris in LOCKDOWN, curfew issued
- Dozens killed
- Grenade explosions heard outside State De France
- 100 held hostages taken, 30 believed to be released
- Reports of 'suicide attacks'
- Two gunmen believed killed
- Paris in LOCKDOWN, curfew issued
- Dozens killed
- Grenade explosions heard outside State De France
- 100 held hostages taken, 30 believed to be released
- Reports of 'suicide attacks'
- Two gunmen believed killed
UPDATES: French national broadcaster BFM TV is reporting that the assault on the Bataclan concert venue over, with two attackers killed.
French police have confirmed that security forces have "launched an assault" on theatre where hostages were being held.
France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders after at least 40 people were killed in multiple shootings in Paris.
HOSTAGE UPDATES HERE: *100 HOSTAGES TAKEN AT PARIS CONCERT HALL
HOSTAGES KILLED 'ONE BY ONE':
"The operation is over but it's very messy in there. It's a scene of horror," a police source said in regards to the hostage situation.
American rock band Eagles of Death Metal are currently unaccounted for.
The following statement was released on Twitter: "We are still currently trying to determine the safety and whereabouts of all our band and crew. Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation."
At least 40 people were killed in a series of simultaneous gun attacks across Paris on Friday, as well as explosions outside the national stadium where France was playing Germany in a football match.
Police have said that at least 15 people were killed at the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris, only some 200 metres (yards) from the former offices of Charlie Hebdo which were attacked by jihadists in January.
Police said the hostage scenario is in an area known for its busy nightlife.
A person has apparently been arrested near the Bataclan theatre, this is yet to be verified.
France 24 reports all taxi drivers in Paris have turned off their meters and are taking people home for free.
It is the first time since the Nazis occupied Paris in 1944 that there has been a curfew in the City of Light.
The deadliest attack appears to have targeted the Bataclan concert hall. BBC reports scores of ambulances arrived at the scene, suggesting many victims were inside.
Other attacks hit Le Petit Cambodge restaurant in the 11th district where a reporter saw 10 people lying on the road, either dead or seriously injured.
Another hit Le Carillon bar not too far away.
An eyewitness told Liberation he had heard more than 100 rounds being fired at a cafe in rue de Charonne.
There are reports of up to six gunmen involved.
VIDEO Update on Paris attacks
WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE?
Isil supporters have been celebrating the terrorist attack on Paris using the hashtag "Paris ignites".
An Isil supporter called al-Mouhed al-Tourkomani wrote: "Allahu Akbar…Allahu Akbar die with your rage, and explode with your defeating."
Isil has not, at this stage, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Three people were killed near the Stade de France stadium in the north of the capital, police said, where the international football match was taking place.
An AFP journalist at the scene said two explosions were heard.
Spectators flooded the pitch as news of the attacks spread. Organisers started evacuating the stadium by three doors.
Another attack was reported at a Cambodian restaurant called Petit Cambodge, not far from the Bataclan venue in northeast Paris.
Counter-terrorism prosecutors said they had opened a preliminary investigation.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, called for residents to stay at home.
"We heard gunfire, 30 seconds of fire, it was interminable, we thought it was fireworks," said Pierre Montfort, who lives near rue Bichat, where one of the attacks took place.
President Francois Hollande was evacuated from the stadium before the end of the match.
The toll "will be much heavier" than the initial confirmed deaths, a security source said.
"My sister is in the Bataclan," said Camille, 25. "I phoned her. She said they opened fire. And then she hung up."
"Everyone was on the floor, no one moved," said one witness from the Petit Cambodge restaurant.
"A girl was carried by a young man in his arms. She appeared to be dead."
An AFP reporter outside the Bataclan said there were armed police and some 20 police wagons with their lights flashing around the scene.
Hollande travelled to the interior ministry to set up a crisis cell with other ministers.
"The president of the Republic, the prime minister, the interior minister are in a inter-ministerial crisis cell," the government said in a statement.
The president's office said an exceptional council of ministers would be called at midnight.
European Union chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he was "deeply shocked" by the attacks.
France has been on high alert since the jihadist attacks in January against Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket that left 17 dead.
Several other attacks have been foiled through the year.
More than 500 French fighters are thought to be with IS in Syria and Iraq, according to official figures, while 250 have returned and some 750 expressed a desire to go there.
The government announced last week that it was restoring border checks as a security measure for UN climate talks that start in Paris at the end of this month.
GUNFIRE ON THE STREETS OF PARIS:
STATE OF EMERGENCY ISSUED
President Hollande has announced on TV and radio that a state of emergency would be declared.
"France must be strong in the face of terrorism," he said.
"Terrorist attacks are taking place in Paris. It's a horror, We have mobilised all possible forces."
The Telegraph reports a police source said gun attacks had taken place at six different locations in Paris, as well as the grenade attack at the Stade de France.
French media are reporting as many as 40 dead, with 60 "extremely urgent" casualties rushed to hospitals.
At least one ongoing hostage situation, possibly several, police said.
The mayor's office told Parisians to stay at home and remain calm.
VIDEO OF EXPLOSION:'''
OBAMA ISSUES STATEMENT
President Obama has addressed the media about the Paris terror attacks.
''We've seen an outrageous attempt to terrorise innocent civilians, this is an attack not just on Paris, it is an attack not just on the people of France, but it is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share.
We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance the government and the people of France need to respond. France is our oldest ally, and the French people have stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States time and again. We want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
Paris itself represents the timeless values of human progress. Those who think they can terrorise the people of France or the values they stand for are wrong. The American people draw strength from the French people's commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We are reminded in this time of tragedy that the bonds of liberte, egalite, fraternite are not only values that the French people care so deeply about but they are values that we share. Those values are going to endure far beyond any act of terrorism or the hateful thinking of those who perpetrated the crimes this evening."
We're going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people.
This is a heartbreaking situation and obviously we in the United States know what it's like. We've gone through these kinds of episodes and whenever these kinds of attacks happens we've always been able to count on the french people to stand with us. They have been an extraordinary counter-terrorism partner and we intend to be there with them in that same fashion. ''
An eyewitness has described the shooting attack in which several people are reported to have died.
BBC reports at least one man opened fire with an automatic gun at the Petit Cambodge restaurant in the 11th district.
Ben Grant told BBC News that there were "a lot of dead people" outside the restaurant.
It is one of a number of shootings reported in the city on Friday night.
An explosion is also reported at a bar near Stade de France, where France were hosting Germany.
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The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks.
Emilioi Macchio, from Ravenna, Italy, was at the Carillon bar near the restaurant that was targeted, having a beer on the sidewalk when the shooting started. He said he didn't see any gunmen or victims, but hid behind a corner then ran away.
"It sounded like fireworks," he said.
France has been on edge since deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in January on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery that left 20 dead, including the three attackers.
The restaurant targeted Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices.
The country has seen several smaller-scale attacks or attempts since, including an incident on a high-speed train in August in which American travelers thwarted a heavily armed Islamic radical trying to attack passengers.
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