PARIS -- France declared a state of emergency and sealed its borders Friday evening after a series of attacks struck at sites across its capital, leaving scenes of horror and carnage outside a soccer stadium, at a cafe and inside a concert hall where the terrorization of the audience ended early today.
The attacks left more than 120 people dead, spawning panic and chaos in a city where residents and tourists had only minutes earlier been enjoying a cool, quiet November evening.
"It's a horror," French President Francois Hollande said, addressing reporters and pledging that France would stand firm and remain united. He had been attending the soccer match when twin explosions went off outside the stadium.
The attack unfolded with two suicide bombings and an explosion outside the national stadium during a soccer match between the French and German national teams.
Within minutes, according to Paris Police Chief Michel Cadot, another group of attackers sprayed cafes outside the Bataclan concert hall with machine gunfire, then stormed inside and opened fire on the panicked audience. As police closed in, they detonated explosive belts, killing themselves.
Hollande, who was evacuated from the stadium when the bombs went off outside, later vowed that the nation would stand firm and united: "A determined France, a united France, a France that joins together and a France that will not allow itself to be staggered even if today, there is infinite emotion faced with this disaster, this tragedy, which is an abomination, because it is barbarism."
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, although jihadists on Twitter immediately praised them and criticized France's military operations against Islamic State extremists.
The Paris prosecutor's office said eight attackers were dead, seven of them in suicide bombings.
Prosecutor's office spokesman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said this morning that the eighth attacker was killed by security forces when they raided the concert hall. She said it's possible that there are terrorists still at large.
At the concert hall, at least 100 people were killed, including at least two attackers, according to two Paris police officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
There were reports of gunfire and explosions as security forces moved in on the captors who had stormed the concert by an American rock band. The Eagles of Death Metal were scheduled to perform at the Bataclan in eastern Paris near the trendy Oberkampf area.
One police official described "carnage" inside the building, saying the attackers tossed explosives at people inside.
Witnesses said three or four men dressed in black used assault rifles to mow down audience members.
"It was a bloodbath," said Julien Pearce, a radio reporter in France, in an interview with CNN. He said he was at the concert and saw the attackers open fire on the crowd, firing at random as people screamed.
"They didn't shout anything; they didn't say anything," he said of the assailants. "They were just shooting [at] people." He said roughly 1,000 people were attending the concert.
Cadot said the attackers blew themselves up with suicide belts as police closed in. He added that all the attackers are believed dead, although authorities are hunting for any possible accomplices.
Mary Lou Dorio, the mother of Julian Dorio, the drummer for Eagles of Death Metal, said her son and other band members escaped the concert hall when the attack began. However, the fate of several crew members remains unknown, she said.
"It was awful," the mother said. She added that her son was at a police station, where he was able to call his wife.
Managers for the band said they were still "trying to determine the safety and whereabouts" of the all the band members and their crew.
"Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation," Eagles of Death Metal's managers posted on the band's Facebook page late Friday.
'sounded like fireworks'
In addition to the deaths at the concert hall, a police official said dozens were killed in attacks on a tight circle of popular nightspots about a mile away in Paris' 10th district, typically crowded on a Friday night.
Other officials said at least three people died in three explosions farther north, outside the Stade de France.
Emilio Macchio from Ravenna, Italy, was having a beer on the sidewalk at Le Carillon restaurant, one of the nightspots hit, 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.
At the stadium, a police union official said the explosions were two suicide attacks and a bombing. Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area of the stadium, said explosions went off simultaneously near two entrances and a McDonald's.
A reporter in the stadium Friday night said the explosions were loud enough to be heard over the sounds of cheering fans. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead. After the match, fans were barred from leaving the stadium but were allowed to gather on the field.
Although Paris residents were urged to stay indoors, hundreds streamed down the Boulevard Magenta waving French flags, trying to reach the Stade de France arena to show solidarity with the victims.
state of emergency
After he was evacuated from the stadium, Hollande went on national television to announce a state of emergency, including travel restrictions and the closing of France's borders. He said security forces were continuing to battle terrorists in at least one location.
"This is a terrible ordeal that again assails us," he said.
"We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are," he added, without elaborating. "These terrorists want to make us afraid and seize us with fear. ... This is a nation that defends itself."
Hollande formally declared a state of emergency on all mainland territory and Corsica during an emergency Cabinet meeting summoned at Elysee Palace.
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 people and vehicles at specific times and places. They also can define protected areas and safety areas where movement is restricted.
Hollande, who later visited the Bataclan, said France will be "merciless" against those behind the attacks. He also praised all the emergency workers offering to help throughout the long, emotional night.
According to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant sites, Twitter posts attributed to jihadist supporters are speculating which group may be responsible. Many users expressed belief that the Islamic State extremist group could be behind the carnage.
They used Arabic-language hashtags that translated to "Paris on fire" and "Caliphate state strikes France."
France has been on edge since January, when Islamic extremists attacked the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, which had run cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and a kosher grocery. In all, 20 people died, including the three attackers. The Charlie Hebdo attackers claimed links to extremists in Yemen, while the kosher market attacker claimed ties to the Islamic State.
Le Carillon restaurant is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices, as is the Bataclan.
Friday's attacks come 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. Hollande canceled a trip to this weekend's Group of 20 summit in Turkey, which was to focus in large part on growing fears of terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists.
France's military is bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq and fighting extremists in Africa, and extremist groups have frequently threatened France in the past.
shock around globe
World leaders expressed shock at the violence in Paris.
In Washington, President Barack Obama called the attacks on Paris "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians" and vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.
"This is an attack not just on Paris, an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share," he said, adding, "Those that think they can terrorize the people of France and the values they stand for are wrong."
Obama promised the U.S. "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." He pledged whatever help he could provide to the French government and praised it as an "extraordinary counterterrorism partner."
Obama, who is to leave today for a nine-day trip to Turkey for the G-20 summit, and to the Philippines and Malaysia for two separate international gatherings, said he spoke before the attacks with Hollande and plans to talk with him again in the coming days. Obama is also set to travel to Paris for the climate change summit in December.
"This is a heartbreaking situation, and obviously those of us in the United States know what it's like," he said. "We've gone through these kinds of episodes ourselves."
Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Vienna to attend talks today on the war in Syria, described the attacks in Paris as "heinous, evil" and "vile," calling them "an assault on our common humanity."
The U.S. Embassy in Paris was "making every effort to account for the welfare of American citizens in the city" and pledged that the U.S. would provide whatever support France might require, Kerry said in a statement.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned "the despicable terrorist attacks."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "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."
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Twitter wrote: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help."
Asian leaders condemned the attacks while placing regional authorities on security alert ahead of the summits scheduled in Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia.
With Obama and other world leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila starting Monday, Philippine officials said they were assessing the situation and taking precautions to ensure the safety of all delegates.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed shock at the attacks in a Facebook post this morning and said the attacks have made a planned discussion on terrorism at the G-20 meeting "more relevant and urgent than ever."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said his country is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the terrorists attacks, according to a statement on the ministry's website. Terrorism is a common challenge facing humanity, he said.
Information for this article was contributed by Griff Witte, William Branigin and Greg Jaffe of The Washington Post; by Lori Hinnant, Greg Keller, Angela Charlton, Jerome Pugmire, Samuel Petrequin, Jamey Keaten, John-Thor Dahlburg, Sylvie Corbet and staff members of The Associated Press; and by Justin Sink, Angela Greiling Keane, Andy Sharp and staff members of Bloomberg News.
A Section on 11/14/2015