Home Tags Posts tagged with "france attacks"

france attacks

A French teacher has been attacked in a preschool class in Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris, by a man citing ISIS.

The attacker shouted: “This is for Daesh [ISIS]. It’s a warning.”

He stabbed the teacher with a box cutter or scissors before fleeing.

The life of the 45-year-old teacher, who was alone in the room, is not in danger.

France remains on high alert after the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 that left 130 people dead.

Police sources said the teacher was stabbed in the side and throat at about 07:10 local time as he was preparing for class at the Jean-Perrin preschool, which caters for children between the ages of three and six.

The attacker reportedly arrived wearing a balaclava and gloves but was unarmed and used weapons he found in the classroom.

The attacker fled on foot and is still on the run. A manhunt is under way.French teacher attack Jean Perrin kindrgarten

Local official Philippe Galli said there were no children present at the time of the attack but other staff members were in the building. Classes have been cancelled.

The teacher is being treated in hospital and has not yet been interviewed by police.

The anti-terrorism branch of the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for attempted murder in relation to a terrorist act.

The ISIS’ French-language magazine Dar-al-Islam recently urged followers to kill teachers in France, describing them as “enemies of Allah” for teaching secularism, AFP reports.

Security has been strengthened at schools since the Paris attacks.

Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem traveled to the Aubervilliers school on December 14, calling the attack an “act of great gravity” that was “unacceptable”.

Last week, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the terrorist threat was “real and permanent”, adding: “All public places must be protected, particularly schools.”

Aubervilliers is in the Seine-Saint-Denis department of the Ile-de-France region.

In the 2010 census, Aubervilliers had a population of 76,000, including a large number of immigrants, mostly from North African Maghreb countries.

0

French prosecutors have said that a third body has been recovered from the apartment in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis raided by police after last week’s attacks.

They confirmed the body was that of Hasna Aitboulahcen, and was found overnight in a search of the flat following November 18 raid.

Hasna Aitboulahcen, 26, is widely reported to have been the cousin of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and blew herself up.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind of Paris attacks, was also killed in the raid.

The near-simultaneous attacks by suicide bombers and gunmen on bars and restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and Stade de France stadium on November 13 killed 129 people and left hundreds of people wounded.

Photo Twitter

Photo Twitter

ISIS said it was behind the attacks.

Demonstrations have been banned under France’s state of emergency, but dozens of French artists and cultural figures have urged people to make a lot of “noise and light”, by turning on music and lights, at 21:20 local time on November 20 to mark the exact time a week ago that the attacks began.

Prosecutors have now confirmed the identities of two of the three suspects who died in the seven-hour-long raid in the Rue Cormillon apartment on November 18.

The prosecutor’s office said Hasna Aitboulahcen’s passport was found near her body.

News that Abdelhamid Abaaoud – a well-known face of ISIS and on international “most wanted” lists – and at least one of his accomplices may have travelled undetected from Syria before carrying out the attacks has raised fears about the security of the European Union’s borders.

EU interior ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss tougher measures, including tightening the external borders of the passport-free Schengen area.

France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, on his way into the meeting, said the EU had “wasted too much time on a number of urgent issues” and hoped “today takes the decisions that we must take”.

A draft resolution for today’s EU meeting says ministers will agree to implement “necessary systematic and co-ordinated checks at external borders, including on individuals enjoying the right of free movement”.

This means EU citizens, along with non-EU citizens, will have their passports routinely checked against a database of known or suspected terrorists and those involved in organized crime.

Ministers will also consider cracking down on the movement of firearms within the EU, the collection of passenger data for those taking internal flights and also blocking funding for terrorists.

At least one person died as French police have raided a flat in the north Paris suburb of Saint-Denis in an operation linked to last week’s attacks.

A female suspect blew herself up with a suicide belt, a prosecutor says. Some reports suggest two suspects died. There were explosions and gunfire in the operation, which is continuing.

Five people have also been arrested.

The focus of the operation is Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of the ISIS-claimed attacks that killed 129 people in Paris on November 13.

Roads have been blocked off around Rue de la Republique in Saint-Denis, in the same district as the Stade de France where suicide attackers detonated bombs.

Truckloads of soldiers joined armed police at the scene.

Photo AP

Photo AP

At least five people were believed to have been in the targeted third floor flat in Rue de La Republique, French media report.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the raid started at 04:20 local time and was still ongoing.

A woman inside the apartment set off an explosives vest at the beginning of the raid and died.

Three men who were also in the apartment have been detained by anti-terrorist police.

A man and a woman were stopped and detained close to the apartment, police said.

There are unconfirmed reports that one person remains holed up in the flat. Other unconfirmed reports have put the death toll at between two and three.

Several police officers are reported to have been wounded in the operation.

Earlier, Deputy Mayor Stephane Peu urged local residents to stay indoors, saying “it is not a new attack but a police intervention”.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin, had been thought to have organized last week’s attacks from Syria, but is now believed to have been one of those in the St Denis apartment.

Security sources have said surveillance video showed a possible ninth assailant during the attacks.

The video reportedly shows a third figure in the car carrying the group which attacked several bars and restaurants.

It is not clear if this ninth attacker is one of two suspected accomplices detained in Belgium or is someone still on the run.

0

French police have been searching premises they believe were used by the last week’s attackers in Paris.

Salah Abdeslam, the suspected eighth gunman who is now the subject of an international manhunt, rented out an apartment and two hotel rooms.

A car that Salah Abdeslam rented which may have been used to bring the attackers to and from Belgium is also being inspected.

ISIS says it carried out the multiple attacks in which 129 people died.

A Belgian-registered black Renault Clio was found parked near Montmartre in northern Paris. After police sealed off the area and ensured there was no booby-trap, the vehicle was towed away for forensic examination.Paris attacks suspects

Images shown on French media of one of the hotel rooms being examined show syringes and tubes which could be bomb-making equipment.

Salah Abdeslam is believed to have fled across the border to his native Belgium. Belgian police have released more pictures of him.

On November 17, French media reported that a French jihadist, Fabien Clain, had been identified as the voice in a recording issued by ISIS in which it said it had carried out the attacks.

As the investigation continues, and in an effort to prevent more attacks, France has mobilized 115,000 security personnel, according to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s government has raised its terror threat level because of the failure so far to arrest Salah Abdeslam.

German media reported three arrests near Aachen, on the Belgian border, in an operation linked to the attacks.

0

More than 115,000 security personnel have been mobilized in the wake of Friday’s Paris attacks by ISIS, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has announced.

Bernard Cazeneuve said 128 more raids on suspected militants were carried out. French air strikes also hit Islamic State in Syria overnight.

ISIS has said it carried out the attacks on bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and Stade de France stadium in which 129 people died.

A huge manhunt is under way for one of the suspects, Salah Abdeslam.

Salah Abdeslam is believed to have fled across the border to his native Belgium. Belgian police have released more pictures of the wanted man.

Photo Reuters

Photo Reuters

Belgium’s government has raised its terror threat level because of the failure so far to arrest Salah Abdeslam.

Bernard Cazeneuve said: “We have mobilized 115,000 police, gendarmes and military over the whole of our national territory to insure the protection of French people.”

He vowed to boost funding for police equipment, which he said had fallen by 17% between 2007 and 2012.

The interior minister added that 128 raids on suspected Islamist militants had been carried out overnight on November 16 to 17. More than 160 raids were made earlier on November 16, with 23 people arrested and dozens of weapons seized.

French media reported that during raids police found a safe house used by the attackers in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris.

Meanwhile France has evoked a previously unused clause in the Treaty on European Union obliging other member states to provide it with “aid and assistance by all means in their power”.

Within minutes, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that all 28 member states had offered “full support and readiness to provide all the aid and assistance needed”.

The measures came as US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Paris.

Speaking on November 16, John Kerry described ISIS as “psychopathic monsters”.

After meeting French President Francois Hollande on November 17, John Kerry said everyone understood that after Paris and other recent attacks “we have to step up efforts to hit them at the core” and improve border security.

President Francois Hollande is due to fly to Washington and Moscow next week for talks with Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin.

0

Speaking during a joint session of both houses of parliament President Francois Hollande has said that France is committed to “destroying” ISIS after last week’s deadly attacks.

Francois Holland said he would table a bill to extend the state of emergency declared after the attacks for three months and would suggest changes to the constitution.

France’s military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria will also intensify.

ISIS says it carried out the attacks on bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and Stade de France in which 129 people died.Francois Hollande speech Paris attacks

Francois Hollande said the constitution needed to be amended as “we need an appropriate tool we can use without having to resort to the state of emergency”.

He said he would travel to meet Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin in the coming days to discuss action against the group.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Paris on November 16 to show support for “America’s oldest friend” against what he called “psychopathic monsters”.

At a G20 summit in Turkey, world leaders promised tighter co-operation in the wake of the attacks.

Barack Obama said the US and France had made a new agreement on intelligence sharing but said US military advisers thought sending ground troops to combat ISIS would be a mistake.

In his address, Francois Hollande reiterated his opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remaining in power but said “our enemy in Syria is Daesh [ISIS]”.

He promised more resources for the security forces and said the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier would be sent on November 19 to bolster the military campaign against ISIS.

On November 15, French aircraft attacked Raqqa, ISIS stronghold in Syria. French officials said 10 jets had dropped 20 guided bombs targeting sites including a command centre, a recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp.

ISIS has issued a statement saying the raid targeted empty locations and that there were no casualties.

0

Suspected Paris attackers:

Salah Abdeslam, French citizen, 26 – urgently wanted by French police

Photo Twitter

Photo Twitter

Mohammed Abdeslam, brother of Salah Abdeslam – reportedly arrested in Belgium

Brahim Abdeslam, 31 – named as attacker who died near Bataclan concert hall

Omar Ismail Mostefai, French citizen, 29, from near Paris – died in attack on Bataclan concert hall

Bilal Hadfi, 20 – named as attacker who died at Stade de France

Ahmad al-Mohammad, 25, from Idlib, Syria – died at Stade de France (unverified)

Samy Amimour, 28, from near Paris – suicide bomber at Bataclan concert hall

Two other attackers died during the assaults in Paris.

0

According to French officials, a total of 23 people have been arrested and dozens of weapons seized in a series of raids on suspected Islamist militants across France following last week’s attacks in Paris.

A police operation is also reportedly under way in Brussels, Belgium, with reports that one suspect was arrested.

France’s PM Manuel Valls said the attacks were organized from Syria.

He added that the authorities believed new terror attacks were being planned in France and other European countries.

Meanwhile two more Paris attackers were named, along with five already identified. One is confirmed to have entered Greece as a migrant earlier this year.

France is to hold a nationwide minute of silence at midday local time for the victims.

Police have named Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, as a key suspect, and a manhunt is under way. He was reportedly stopped by officers in the wake of the attacks but then let go.

Meanwhile, French aircraft have attacked Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold in Syria.

ISIS has said it carried out the attacks in the French capital.

Manuel Valls said that France was dealing with a “terrorist army”, rather than a single terrorist group.

“We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too,” he said.

Manuel Valls said more than 150 raids on militant targets had been carried out in different areas of France on November 16.

Photo AP

Photo AP

“We are making use of the legal framework of the state of emergency to question people who are part of the radical jihadist movement… and all those who advocate hate of the republic,” he said.

Police sources told news agencies that properties in the Paris suburb of Bobigny, as well as the cities of Grenoble, Toulouse and Lyon, had been targeted.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 23 people were arrested and dozens of weapons seized, including a Kalashnikov assault rifle and rocket launchers. More than 100 have been placed under house arrest.

Seven attackers died in the assault on the French capital, most of them after detonating suicide belts.

Five were identified over the weekend.

On November 16, another two were named by the Paris prosecutor as Ahmad al-Mohammad and Samy Amimour.

Ahmad Al-Mohammad is the name on a Syrian passport found with the remains of one of the attackers, though the man’s identity has not yet been verified. What has been confirmed is that his fingerprints match those taken by the Greek authorities after he arrived with migrants on the island of Leros in October 2015.

Samy Amimour was said to be facing terrorism charges in France. He was placed under judicial supervision while under investigation for terrorist conspiracy – he planned to go to Yemen. An international arrest warrant was issued against him when he broke bail in autumn 2013. Three of his relatives were among those detained this morning.

One of the main lines of investigation concerns Molenbeek, which has a reputation as being a haven for jihadists. One of Salah Abdeslam’s brothers, Mohammed, was reportedly arrested there when he returned from Paris.

He remains in custody. Belgian police say they have made a total of seven arrests.

Belgium’s PM Charles Michel said the Belgian authorities would crack down on Molenbeek.

France is currently marking a second day of national mourning. A state of emergency declared by President Francois Hollande remains in force. Thousands of extra police and troops are on the streets of Paris.

0

French citizen Salah Abdeslam is wanted in connection with the attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead on November 13.

Police have issued a photograph of Salah Abdeslam, 26, is describing him as dangerous.

Seven attackers, two of whom had lived in Belgium, died during a series of assaults in Paris, officials said.

On November 15, French aircraft struck the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, hitting four targets, France’s defense ministry said.

Ten fighter jets operating out of French bases in Jordan and the UAE dropped 20 guided bombs on a command centre, recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp for fighters, the ministry said.

The attack was carried out in co-ordination with US forces.

President Francois Hollande had described the attacks in Paris as an act of war – and promised that France’s reaction would be pitiless.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the attacks had been prepared “by a group of individuals based in Belgium” who had “benefited from accomplices in France”.

The attackers targeted restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France, the country’s main sports stadium.

Paris hospitals have said the official number of dead – not including attackers – remains at 129 people.

Photo Police Nationale

Photo Police Nationale

France is marking three days of national mourning. On Sunday, a memorial service was held at Notre Dame cathedral.

Meanwhile panic broke out at the Place de la Republique, where hundreds of people had gathered to honor the victims.

Crowds ran over flowers and candles. Police – who cleared the square – later said people may have mistaken the sound of firecrackers for gunfire.

On November 15, the discovery of a suspected getaway car in Montreuil, east of Paris, fuelled suspicion that at least one suspect had escaped.

French police appealed for information about Salah Abdelslam but warned people not to approach him. Unnamed officials said he was one of three brothers linked to the attack.

The Seat car found in Montreuil is believed to have been used by gunmen who opened fire on people in restaurants on November 13, police say.

A number of AK47 rifles were found in the car, French media quote judicial sources as saying.

The Seat and a VW Polo used by the attackers were rented in Belgium. The Polo was found near the Bataclan concert venue, where 89 people were killed.

One of the Paris attackers lived in Brussels and another in the nearby town of Molenbeek, Belgian prosecutors said on Sunday, without naming either.

A total of seven men had been arrested in Molenbeek, they added. Not all are being held in direct connection with the Paris attacks.

A brother of Salah Abdelslam was said to be among them, while another brother is reported to be one of the seven dead attackers.

The only dead attacker to be named so far is a 29-year-old Frenchman, Ismail Omar Mostefai.

Ismail Omar Mostefai had a criminal record and had been flagged up as a possible Islamist extremist by French intelligence.

0

Members of rock band Eagles of Death Metal escaped without injuries from the attack on their Paris concert, it has been confirmed.

At least 80 of those at the band’s gig were killed when several gunmen stormed the Bataclan concert venue.

Members of Eagles of Death Metal were unhurt but there have been unconfirmed reports that a crew member was among those killed.

On November 13, the band issued a short Facebook statement saying: “Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation.”

Eagles of Death Metal were playing in Paris as part of a European tour.

Photo Facebook

Photo Facebook

The band was formed by Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and his childhood friend Jesse Hughes. Josh Homme was not on the tour.

Eagles of Death Metal is expected to release a further statement.

Their support act Red Lemons posted a message saying: “Guys… I don’t know what to say. We’re more than lucky.”

They added: “Thinking about those who passed away and who were having such a love time & happiness with all of us just a minute before.”

Eagles of Death Metal released their first full LP in 2004 and have been described as “a mashup of punk, rockabilly and Rolling Stones-style boogie”.

The band’s latest album Zipper Down, which came out last month, reached No 59 in the Billboard chart. Their songs have been used in ads for the likes of Nike, Acura and Microsoft.

Jesse Hughes is a hard-living frontman who is also an ordained minister and a former journalist and speechwriter for the Republican Party.

Meanwhile, U2 canceled their concert in Paris on November 14.

In a statement, U2 said: “We watched in disbelief and shock at the unfolding events in Paris and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families across the city tonight.

“We are devastated at the loss of life at the Eagles of Death Metal concert and our thoughts and prayers are with the band and their fans. And we hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe.”

People around the world are expressing their solidarity with the people of France after November 13 attacks in Paris.

At least 129 people are dead and 100 seriously injured in the deadliest attacks on France since World War Two.

Eighty people were killed at an Eagles of Death Metal concert at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris.

Attackers took hostages before blowing themselves up after security forces stormed the hall.

People were shot dead at restaurants and bars at five other sites in Paris.

On Twitter people are using hashtags including #PrayforParis, #PrayForPeace and #StandWithParis to show their support for the victims and their families.

The hashtag #JeSuisParis is being used again as it was after the Charlie Hebdo killings in January, in which 12 people died.

A sketch of the Eiffel Tower as a peace sign is also being posted and users are changing their profile pictures.

Photo Ap

Photo Ap

Other hashtags on Twitter expressed outrage at the attacks like #TerrorismHasNoReligion.

Other images being shared include a black peace ribbon laid over the French flag, a pair of hands clasped together in prayer around the Eiffel Tower, and a famous landmarks covered in red, white and blue.

On November 13, the hashtag #PorteOuverte, or Door Open, was used for anyone who wanted to find refuge in Paris after the attacks.

In the US, some used the hashtag #strandedinUS to offer shelter for people who can’t travel back to France because of flight restrictions.

Facebook users are being offered a safety check feature called Paris Terror Attacks to let their friends and family know they’re safe, or to try to locate people they know in the city.

On Twitter the hashtag #Bataclan is being used to try to track down loved ones.

Paris is now under tight security with schools and universities closed.

There will also be three days of national mourning in France after the attacks.

0

French citizen Omar Ismail Mostefai has been identified as one of the attackers who killed 129 people in Paris on November 13.

Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, was named by local media and a French parliamentarian.

He had a criminal record and was known to have been radicalized.

Investigators identified Omar Ismail Mostefai after his severed fingertip was found at the Bataclan concert hall, where three attackers blew themselves up, AFP news agency reports.

Friday’s attacks, claimed by ISIS militants, hit a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars in the French capital.

Prosecutors say seven assailants – armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide belts – were organized into three teams, and there are fears that some may have fled the scene.

PM Manuel Valls has said France will continue with air strikes against ISIS in Syria, and described the group as a very well-organized enemy.

Photo AFP

Photo AFP

Police are trying to find out whether Omar Ismail Mostefai traveled to Syria in 2014, judicial sources told AFP.

His father and brother have been taken into police custody.

“It’s crazy, insane. I was in Paris myself last night, I saw what a mess it was,” Omar Ismail Mostefai’s older brother told AFP before being detained after voluntarily attending a police station on November 14.

Omar Ismail Mostefai came from the town of Courcouronnes, 15 miles south of Paris. He lived in the nearby town of Chartres until 2012, according to local lawmaker and deputy mayor Jean-Pierre Gorges.

He regularly attended the mosque in Luce, close to Chartres, AFP reported.

Omar Ismail Mostefai had a history of petty crime but was never jailed. The security services deemed him to have been radicalized in 2010 but he was never implicated in a counter-terrorism investigation.

His brother said he had not had contact with him for several years following family disputes, but said he was surprised to hear he had been radicalized.

He was one of six children in the family and had traveled to Algeria with his family and young daughter, the brother said.

The investigation is also focusing on a possible link to Belgium after police there arrested three men near the French border.

A black Volkswagen Polo with Belgian registration found at the Bataclan had been rented by a Frenchman living in Belgium, the Paris chief prosecutor said.

The French national was identified while driving another vehicle in a spot check by police on Saturday morning as he crossed into Belgium with two passengers.

Speaking in Paris, chief prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters: “We can say at this stage of the investigation there were probably three co-ordinated teams of terrorists behind this barbaric act.

“We have to find out where they came from… and how they were financed.”

Francois Molins said the police were also investigating a black Seat used by gunmen at two of the attacks, which remains untraced.

A Syrian passport, found near the body of one of the attackers at the Stade de France, had been used to travel through the Greek island of Leros last month, Greek officials have confirmed.

French President Francois Hollande has imposed a state of emergency after the worst peacetime attack in France since World War Two. It is also the deadliest in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings.

0

According to French chief prosecutor Francois Molins, three teams of attackers were involved in the Paris attack in which 129 people were killed and more than 350 wounded.

“We have to find out where they came from… and how they were financed,” he told reporters.

Francois Molins said seven attackers had been killed, and that all had been heavily armed and wearing explosive belts.

Last night’s attacks, claimed by ISIS, hit a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars.

Francois Molins also said the arrests of three men in Belgium on November 14 were linked to the attacks.

Belgian PM Charles Michel said investigators were trying to establish whether one of the suspects picked up near Brussels may have been in Paris on Friday evening.

Speaking in Paris on November 14, Francois Molins told reporters: “We can say at this stage of the investigation there were probably three co-ordinated teams of terrorists behind this barbaric act.”

He also confirmed that one of the dead attackers had been identified as a 30-year-old Frenchman who had a criminal record but had never spent time in jail.

The man came from the town of Courcouronnes, 15 miles west of Paris. He had been identified by the security services as having been radicalized but had never been implicated in a counter-terrorism investigation.

Francois Molins said all seven militants had used Kalashnikov assault rifles and the same type of explosive vests.

He also gave details about the state of the investigation, which he said was at a very early stage.

The prosecutor said police were focusing on two vehicles. One was a black Seat used by gunmen at two of the attacks and still untraced.Paris attacks prosecutor

The other is a black Volkswagen Polo with Belgian registration plates found at the concert venue that was targeted.

He said this had been rented to a Frenchman living in Belgium who was identified in a spot check by police on Friday morning as he drove across the Belgian border with two others.

A Syrian passport was found next to the body of one of three suicide bombers who struck near the Stade de France stadium during Friday’s game, Francois Molins said.

A Greek minister says the passport belonged to a Syrian refugee who passed through the island of Leros. An Egyptian passport has also been linked to the attacks.

President Francois Hollande imposed a state of emergency after the worst peacetime attack in France since World War Two. It is also the deadliest in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings.

The violence began soon after 21:00 local time as people were enjoying a Friday night out in Paris.

A gunman opened fire on Le Carillon bar in the rue Alibert, near the Place de la Republique, before heading across the road to Le Petit Cambodge (Little Cambodia), killing 15 people.

A few streets away, diners sitting on the terrace of La Casa Nostra pizzeria in rue de la Fontaine au Roi, were also fired on, with the loss of five lives.

Frnacois Molins said 19 people were killed at the Belle Equipe bar, while the toll from the attack on the Bataclan concert hall stood at 89.

At around the same time, on the northern outskirts of Paris, 80,000 people who had gathered to watch France play Germany at the Stade de France heard three explosions outside the stadium.

President Francois Hollande was among the spectators and was whisked away after the first blast.

Investigators found the bodies of three suicide bombers around the Stade de France, Francois Molins said.

The 1,500-seat Bataclan concert hall suffered the worst of last night’s attacks. Gunmen opened fire on a sell-out gig by rock group Eagles of Death Metal, killing 89 people.

Within an hour, security forces had stormed the concert hall and all four attackers there were dead. Three had blown themselves up and a fourth was shot dead by police.

ISIS released a statement on November 14 saying “eight brothers wearing explosive belts and carrying assault rifles” had carried out the attacks on “carefully chosen” targets, and were a response to France’s involvement in the air strikes on ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.

Shortly before, President Francois Hollande said France had been “attacked in a cowardly shameful and violent way”.

“So France will be merciless in its response to the Islamic State militants,” he said, vowing to “use all means within the law.. on every battleground here and abroad together with our allies”.

Many official buildings as well as Disneyland Paris have been closed, sports events have been cancelled and large gatherings have been banned for the next five days.