France vows “pitiless” response after attackers kill over 150 in Paris
French President Francois Hollande says the perpetrator of gruesome terror attacks in Paris should expect no mercy.
Suspected terrorists killed at least 153 people Friday night and injured 200 more in six separate attacks around Paris.
“To all those who have seen these awful things, I want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless,” Hollande said when he visited Bataclan hall where at least 120 people were killed.
The attack on the 1,500-seat Bataclan hall was by far the deadliest as gunmen opened fire on concert goers watching US rock group Eagles of Death Metal.
The event had been sold out, BBC News reports.
Officials said attackers took people hostage. Three of the terrorists later detonated suicide vests as police stormed the venue around 1 a.m. local time.
Nearly a dozen people were killed at the Le Petit Cambodge, a restaurant in the 10th Arrondissement.
Eighteen people were killed at Cafe La Le Belle Equipe, where witnesses said gunmen “sprayed” the street with automatic weapons, Grasswire reports.
At least five people were killed at the Stade de France where a football match was taking place between France and Germany.
French President Francois Hollande, who was in attendance, was evacuated from the stadium.
Venue of the attacks
- Le Carillon bar, 18 rue Alibert, 10th district – gun attack
- Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, 20 rue Alibert, 10th district – gun attack
- Stade de France, St Denis, just north of Paris – explosions near venue as France played Germany in football friendly
- La Belle Equipe, 92 rue de Charonne, 11th district – gun attack
- Bataclan concert venue, 50 boulevard Voltaire, 11th district – gun attack and hostages taken
- La Casa Nostra restaurant, rue de la Fontaine au roi, 11th district
Witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions on rue Jules-Rimet, one of which was a suicide bomb, AFP reported. Another suicide bomber detonated on Boulevard Voltaire near the Bataclan.
Hollande issued a state of emergency and implemented border controls to prevent any suspects from leaving the country.
In total, eight of the attackers were reported killed, seven by suicide bombings, but authorities warned their accomplices may still be at large.
Paris Metro is closed but traveling by taxi is free, reports say.
According to the French foreign ministry, airports will remain open with flights and trains continuing their service throughout the country except in the city of Paris.
It’s the second time in 2015 Paris will witness horrifying terror. The city saw three days of attacks in early January, when Islamist gunmen murdered 18 people, attacking satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a Jewish supermarket and a policewoman on patrol, BBC News reports.
