Saturday, November 14, 2015

The Devastating Paris Attacks : What We Know So Far



ABC News





Devastation in France: What We Know About The Paris Attacks

Christian Hartmann/Reuters
WATCH At Least 1 American Killed in Paris Terror Attacks

A wave of devastating attacks on civilians across Paris Friday night has left at least 129 dead, including an American, and many more injured.
As France initiates a state of emergency and begins several days of mourning, here is a breakdown of what we know so far:

Where

Six separate attacks were carried out across Paris, beginning after 10 p.m. local time Friday night.
One of the targets was the Stade de France soccer stadium, where Germany was playing France in a game that French President Francois Hollande was attending. Hollande was evacuated from the stadium.
PHOTO: A French supporter reacts after invading the pitch of the Stade de France stadium at the end of a soccer match between France and Germany in Saint Denis, outside Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.




Christophe Ena/AP Photo
A French supporter reacts after invading the pitch of the Stade de France stadium at the end of a soccer match between France and Germany in Saint Denis, outside Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.more +
At least 80 were killed inside the Bataclan concert hall, where American rock band Eagles of Death Metal was playing. A witness in the theater told ABC News she heard gunmen shout "Syria!"
The four other attacks were at other locations in the 10th and 11th districts of Paris, where gunmen targeted bars and restaurants. Police said some attackers first sprayed cafes outside the venue with machine gunfire before continuing the assault inside the concert hall.
PHOTO: A woman is evacuated from the Bataclan theater after a shooting in Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.




Thibault Camus/AP Photo
A woman is evacuated from the Bataclan theater after a shooting in Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.


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ABC News

American College Student Killed in Paris Attacks

John Walton PA via AP

A 23-year-old American was killed in Friday night's devastating six-part attack in Paris, according to California State University, Long Beach.
Nohemi Gonzalez, a CSU Long Beach student, was in Paris attending Strate College of Design for a semester abroad program, the school said.
Gonzalez was one of 17 CSU Long Beach students studying abroad at Strate, according to a school official. The 16 other students are safe, according to the school.



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Paris massacre: World mourns 120+ killed in series of terrorist attacks Live updates

French police patrol near the closed Galeries Lafayette department store in the shopping district the day after a series of deadly attacks in Paris, France, November 14, 2015 © Yves Herman
The world is mourning with France, the victims of Friday’s terror assaults in Paris that claimed the lives of at least 129 people. Security has been tightened up globally as Islamic State, who claimed responsibility for the massacre, threatened more violence.
  • 14 November 2015

    21:46 GMT
    A second person who was reportedly involved in the Paris massacre is “very likely” to have entered European Union via Greece, sources in the Greek government told Reuters. Earlier Greece's deputy minister in charge of police said a Syrian man whose passport was found at one of the suicide bombing sites made it to the EU through Greece in October.
  • 21:33 GMT
    A spokesman for the Accor hotel chain, which operates the Pullman Hotel, also confirmed that the earlier incident was a false bomb alert.
  • 21:24 GMT
    A spokesman for the French Interior Ministry has told Reuters that the incident at the hotel in the center of Paris was a false alarm.
  • 21:22 GMT
    Heavily armed police have been deployed at the Pullman Hotel in Paris' 15th district, according to witnesses, who said the officers were searching through rooms. An evacuation has also been reported to have taken place near the Eiffel Tower.
  • 21:08 GMT
    Police in Paris have evacuated an area around the Eiffel tower, Reuters reports, citing witnesses.



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Perfect storm: ‘Paris massacre may enflame public opinion on migrant crisis, NATO interventions'

People react and keep warm using thermal blankets near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal attacks in Paris, France, November 14, 2015. © Christian Hartmann
French President Hollande has declared a state of emergency across the country as Paris comes to grip with a series of terrorist attacks that led to the death of 127 people in the capital, which was placed under curfew for the first time since World War II.

RT interviewed several analysts for their opinions on what these deadly coordinated attacks in the French capital mean not only for the freedom of movement across Europe, but for the ongoing Syrian military operation, which has brought together various state actors - including the US and Russia - in an increasingly shrinking and volatile military theater.

Alain Corvez, Former Advisor to French Interior Ministry, provided insight into the question as to how it is possible that Islamic State has such a long reach - right into the very heart of Europe.

Corvez believes these attacks are “linked to the geopolitical system, and what we are doing in Iraq and in Syria is directly linked to attacks.”

I think all of the specialists and experts on terrorism knew that such an attack was possible," he continued. "This is a world war against terrorists that we have to wage. And for the first time, President Hollande said we have to fight terrorism on a larger scale."

‘France has been intervening in the Middle East since 1917’

Washington-based defense analyst Ivan Eland, asked whether this was the right time for nations to put aside their differences and join together in the fight against terrorism, he explained that it is important to consider the problem long-term it is important to ask “what are the root causes of this terrorism – we call them “blanket terrorism” – but there’s many different groups in the world with many different causes and most of them tend to be local causes, which become international causes when Western countries, or other countries, intervene where they shouldn’t.”

“France has been intervening in the Middle East since after World War I, when Britain and France divided it; it was the colonial master in Syria and now it’s taking a fairly assertive policy by bombing in Syria.

It’s no secret – this is not random - that France is the target.”


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'Terrorists chose Paris as iconic target like twin towers' – ex-CIA officer

The series of apparent Islamic State attacks in Paris can be compared to the 2001 destruction of the WTC towers in the US, says Jack Rice, a former CIA officer. The French capital is an iconic European city, and terrorists target icons.
READ MORE: Paris attacks: 150+ killed and many injured in a series of terrorist acts (LIVE UPDATES)

France has suffered one of the worst tragedies in its modern history with more than 150 people reported killed in seven separate gun and bomb attacks throughout the capital. The terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks. “Part of the strength that a terrorist group has is to take down an icon,” Rice told RT. “If we go back to 9/11 in the United States, they took down the World Trade Center and parts of New York. And we've seen efforts around the world to do similar things.


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