Paris was struck by an unprecedented series of terrorist attacks on the evening of Friday 13 November. The provisional death toll from the carnage stands at at least 129 killed and 352 injured, according to information provided live by numerous broadcasters. According to law enforcement sources, some of the attackers blew themselves up: it is the first time a suicide bombing has been recorded on French soil.

Where

The attacks were carried out in at least six different locations across the city: the first, near the Stade de France, a few kilometres north of the capital, while a friendly match between the French and German national football teams was under way. The second took place at the Bataclan, a celebrated and extremely popular concert venue, which at that moment was packed for a performance by the Californian band Eagles of Death Metal. Simultaneously, several other locations in the city were targeted, all concentrated in the heart of the centre, between the tenth and eleventh arrondissements.

The city was swiftly placed under a kind of curfew: streets deserted, shops shuttered. Thousands of police vehicles and officers, together with gendarmerie, firefighters and emergency vehicles, were deployed. According to law enforcement sources, eight of the attackers are reported to have died.

The massacre at the Bataclan

At the Bataclan concert hall, four individuals stormed the venue approximately 45 minutes into the concert, armed with Kalashnikov rifles. Witnesses reported that the men opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd, "reloading their weapons at least three or four times". Some people managed to send out calls for help on social media: "I'm still inside the Bataclan. They're killing us one by one."

Part of the crowd escaped onto the roof of the building. From there, some managed to gain entry to neighbouring flats. Others fled through the theatre's emergency exits. Several amateur videos showed people hanging from windowsills in a desperate attempt to escape the carnage. After midnight, special police forces launched an assault, which ended five minutes before one o'clock. Some sources speak of around a hundred victims, but the exact figure has yet to be established. During live television broadcasts throughout the night, reports described officers being forced to "walk across a carpet of bodies" inside the theatre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5JfoUqIneI

According to a journalist present at the scene, at least one of the terrorists had his face uncovered: "He was very close to me. As soon as he arrived he started shooting. He was young, he couldn't have been more than twenty. White, wearing a cap, with a little beard. He could have been any one of the many people who had come to the concert. Nothing could have allowed us to identify him as a terrorist: he was just like us."

The shooting in the tenth arrondissement

At the same time, at the Le Carillon café in the tenth arrondissement of Paris, at around 9:20 pm a first explosion was heard, initially mistaken for a firecracker. Immediately afterwards, a man with his face uncovered entered the premises and opened fire with an automatic weapon. A burst of gunfire was simultaneously directed at the Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, located directly opposite the bar. Between twelve and fourteen people were killed.

Shortly afterwards, a few dozen metres away, towards the Canal Saint-Martin, in front of a McDonald's, a journalist from the daily newspaper Le Monde who was on the scene reported on Twitter of "a stationary Clio, riddled with bullets" and "two people seriously injured".

19 dead on rue de Charonne

Meanwhile, two men opened fire on the outdoor tables of the café La Belle Équipe, located on rue de Charonne (eleventh arrondissement). Witnesses spoke of dozens and dozens of shots. Nineteen deaths have been confirmed. A local resident told the daily newspaper Libération what she was able to see from her window: "Two people with rifles in their hands. I heard shots. Many shots. It lasted at least three minutes. Then the terrorists drove off by car, towards Charonne station."

Three suicide bombers at the Stade de France

While a match was being played at the Stade de France, spectators clearly heard several explosions. According to reports from Afp, citing "concordant sources", the explosions were caused by three suicide bombers. Among those watching the match was President of the Republic François Hollande, who was immediately taken under exceptional escort to the Élysée.

For security reasons, supporters were gathered on the pitch. Until the loudspeakers provided all the necessary instructions for leaving the stadium, as well as for using public transport.

France in a state of emergency

As soon as he returned to the city, Hollande delivered a brief address on television, announcing the decision to declare a state of emergency at national level, as well as the reinstatement of border controls, with the consequent suspension of the Schengen Treaty. Shortly afterwards, an extraordinary cabinet meeting was held, attended by Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. In the morning, a second meeting was organised, at the end of which Hollande once again addressed the nation: "This is an act of war. France will respond by all means, both on its own territory and beyond."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2NMrjFcxvE

The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attacks

For the time being, the perpetrators remain unidentified, but President Hollande has accused the Islamic State. Some witnesses stated that they heard the men who were firing shout "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great"). Others, present at the Bataclan, told radio station France Info that they had "clearly heard the terrorists shout that the blame lay with Hollande, and with his decision to intervene in Syria. They also mentioned Iraq."