Scores Killed in Paris Terror Attacks; Many Held Hostage

A large number of people were being held hostage at a concert hall, where a performance by an American band was interrupted by rapid-fire bursts from Kalashnikov automatic rifles. Up to a thousand people were in the audience; many escaped, but it is not yet clear how many were taken hostage or executed. President Francois Hollande said he was declaring a state of emergency and ordering France’s borders closed – an unprecedented act in 21st-century Europe. From Washington, President Barack Obama said the United States was ready to help in any way possible. A French police official told VOA early Saturday that the death toll stood at 67, and was still rising. WATCH: Video from the scene       There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. A witness inside the hall said the attackers fired into the crowd repeatedly, pausing only to reload their weapons three times. He was near an exit and managed to escape during one of those pauses.   One of the first bombings was just outside a sports stadium where President Hollande and a large crowd were watching a football (soccer) match between the French and German national teams. The explosion was felt inside the stadium. Police evacuated Hollande, but when play was stopped many people in the crowd ran onto the pitch and huddled in fear. Restaurants and bars in a crowded central area of the French capital, near Place de la Republique, also were targeted by the attackers. Hollande called an emergency Cabinet meeting at midnight after he issued his order to close all border crossings. Global condemnation At the White House, Obama said the coordinated attacks in Paris were an “outrageous attempt to terrorize civilians.” Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter, “We will do whatever we can do to help.” He said he was shocked by the events in Paris and his thoughts and prayers are with the French people. At the United Nations, a spokesman said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “condemns the despicable terrorist attacks” and “demands the immediate release of the numerous individuals reportedly being held hostage in the Bataclan theater.” U.S. officials said the embassy in France has been checking on the safety of all Americans in Paris. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in the U.S. capital, however, there was “no specific or credible threat to the United States.” Friday’s spectacular assault evoked memories of an attack by Islamist gunmen in January that killed 17 people.   Ongoing threat Last month, the director of the French Directorate for External Security, Bernard Bajolet, discussed the earlier attack and the continuing threat from terrorists at a forum in Washington. “Things have changed since 9/11,” Bajolet said, referring the terror attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. “For instance, during the last month we have disrupted a certain number of attacks on our territory by our own means or thanks to the cooperation we have with CIA, NSA and so on. But this doesn’t mean that we will be able all the time to disrupt such attacks…” Paris is due to host a major international conference next months — U.N.-sponsored meetings on the global effort to control global warming. VOA White House Correspondent Aru Pande, National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, Lisa Bryant from Paris, and Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report.

Source : Voice of America

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Scores Killed in Paris Terror Attacks; Many Held Hostage

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