As the manhunt continues for those involved in the deadly Paris terror attacks that claimed 130 lives more than a week ago, the world – and particularly Europe – remain on exceptionally high terror alert.
24 November 2015
Belgian terrorist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is suspected of being the mastermind behind the Paris attacks, may have intended to commit a suicide attack in Paris’ La Defense business district on November 18 or 19, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins reported.
He added that Abaaoud is believed to have returned to the site of the Bataclan attack while police were still there.
Belgian authorities have put Mohammed Abrini on their wanted list. He had been seen on November 11, together with Salah Abdeslam, who is a Paris attack suspect.
German police have ended the search operation for Salah Abdeslam who is one of the Paris attack suspects. The operation was conducted in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia where police have not found any evidence of his presence, police said.
Police received a tip-off that Abdeslam might have been seen near Minden, west of Hannover.
“Our operation is now in the final stages. The suspicion has not been confirmed,” the spokeswoman said. “There is no indication that Salah Abdeslam was present in the area. No arrests have been made,” she added.
A school in the Belgian city of Mechelen has been evacuated because of a bomb threat. Police are searching the school. According to local media, four schools have been evacuated over the threat, but police have not uncovered any explosives.
Police have evacuated the “Republique” metro station in Paris over “security concerns.”
“Passengers have been evacuated from the station and it is closed,” the Paris transport agency said in a statement.
Later, the Ministry of Interior said the evacuation was over and nothing suspicious had been found, i24news reports.
German police say there is no indication to confirm suspicion that Paris bomb attack suspect Salah Abdeslam is in the Minden area, Reuters reported.
23 November 2015
Laboratory analysis showed that the explosive material inside the vest found on Monday was the same used in seven other explosive vests that terrorists detonated during a series of attacks in France, a French police official told AP on the condition of anonymity.
READ MORE: Explosive belt without detonator found outside Paris
Belgium is remaining under the highest alert level, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. There is a heavy police presence in Brussels as well as throughout the country, he added.
Belgian authorities have charged one of the Paris attacks suspects who was detained on Sunday with terrorism. Three more are being questioned, while seventeen others have been released, according to the Belgian prosecutor’s office.
A suspicious object resembling a suicide vest has been found in Montrouge, a commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, according to France Info. The outlet says the belt resembles those used during terror attacks in the French capital ten days ago. Some reports suggest the device is missing the detonator. The area has been cordoned off by police.
Belgian police have raided 19 buildings throughout Greater Brussels and the Liege region, arresting 21 suspects. No firearms or explosives were found during the raids. In one episode, police officers were forced to open fire in order to stop a vehicle for a check. The key suspect and one of the organizers of the Paris terror attacks, Salah Abdeslam, remains at large.
“Abdeslam Salah was not found during the raids,” Eric van der Sypt, Belgium’s public prosecutor, announced at a press conference early Monday.
After Brussels police on Sunday carried out massive anti-terror raids in the district of Molenbeek and detained 16 suspects, a decision was taken to immediately evacuate the Brussels town hall. The Belgian capital remains on the highest state of alert, with hundreds of troops patrolling the streets.
22 November 2015
A level three terror threat on a four point scale will stay in place for the rest of Belgium, PM Charles Michel said on Sunday.
“What we fear is an attack similar to the one in Paris, with several individuals who could also possibly launch several attacks at the same time in multiple locations,” he told a press conference in Brussels.
Police and army presence will be boosted in the capital, Michel said, stressing that possible targets include malls, shops, and public transport.
Cypriot police have arrested six people at Larnaca Airport suspected of having terrorist links, In-Cyprus reports. All of them arrived in Cyprus from the Swiss city of Basel and had French passports. Five of the detained are of Turkish descent and one of Algerian. Police Spokesperson Andreas Angelides reported that three of the arrested failed to give satisfactory explanations for their visit to Cyprus and suspicions concerning them remain. Cyprus informed both Interpol and Europol about the incident.
A suspicious package found at Brussels Central Station has turned out to be a false alarm, a RTL News reporter says. The terminal, which had been closed, has now been reopened.
A “blast” earlier reported at Paris’s Gare du Nord train station turned out to be an exploding pigeon that got stuck on a power cable, several journalists said on Twitter, citing police.
Armed police and soldiers patrolled Brussels city centre, Sunday morning, amid a manhunt for two men suspected of involvement in last week's terror attacks in Paris. The Belgian capital was eerily quiet as the city remains on high alert over a possible terrorist attack following a government warning.
A maximum security alert continues to be in force in Brussels, with police and intelligence services poised to review the situation later Sunday. The Belgian capital has been at Level 4, the maximum security status, since yesterday, which means a “serious and imminent” threat of a terror attack, while the rest of the country is on Level 3 (“possible and probable threat”). The city’s maximum security crisis center on Saturday shut down the entire metro system, ordered all shops in downtown closed, canceled all public events and advised citizens to avoid crowds.
Seven of the eight suspects arrested in connection with a bloody shootout in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris have been released from police custody following questioning, the Guardian reports. The only person still being held is a man who owned the property where the terrorists were eventually found and killed.
Five people who were arrested inside the block of flats turned out to be squatters who do not have any identification papers, while a pair outside the building had no links to the terror suspects, a source close to the investigation said.
The raids in Saint-Denis resulted in the killing of the suspected mastermind of Paris terror attacks, Islamic State jihadist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 28, and two of his accomplices.
The third suspect arrested in Belgium following the Paris terror attacks was 39-year-old Abraimi Lazez, a Belgian citizen of Moroccan descent who was living in Brussels.
Lazez was detained in the Laeken district of the Belgian capital on Thursday. Upon stopping his vehicle, police found a handgun and traces of blood in his car; the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported.
Police had also raided his apartment in the Molenbeek district of Brussels shortly before he was arrested. They found several weapons. Lazez will appear before a court on Wednesday, according to local media reports.
21 November 2015
Honduran police arrested a Syrian woman and two Pakistanis on Saturday after determining the three were traveling illegally and presumably en route to the United States, a police official said, according to Reuters. It was not immediately clear if they were using fake passports or how long they have been in the region.
Cafes, bars and restaurants in the Belgian capital of Brussels have been advised to close at 6 pm on Saturday as a precautionary measure. The recommendation came from Brussels’ mayor, Yvan Mayeur.
Brussels security forces are looking for at least two men, one of who might be carrying a bomb of the same type used in Paris attacks on November 13, Belgian Le Soir reported.
The hunt in Belgium for men with explosive belts comes amid growing concerns that the terrorists behind the Paris massacre may have had active accomplices in the neighboring country, the media reported.
Police in London evacuated people and cordoned off a number of busy streets in the center of the British capital on Saturday. Blackfriars Road and St George’s Circus were closed, the Independent reported, adding that residents were advised to “stay away from the windows.”
Helicopters as well as ambulances and fire engines arrived at the scene amid the heightened security in Europe following deadly Paris attacks. The security alert was reportedly sparked by a stolen BMW car with Belgian plates.
Three men were reportedly arrested in the incident. They have been detained on suspicion of the vehicle theft.
Paris police have prolonged the ban on demonstrations and other public gatherings in the region until November 30.
The French capital's police department issued a statement on Saturday, saying that the ban is being extended because of "the current context," including a nationwide state of emergency that is set to last for three months.
This Ruptly video shows Muslims, Christians, and Jews taking to the streets of Bordeaux, France, on Friday to rally against extremism and show solidarity for the victims of the Paris attacks.
Belgium's federal police discovered a cache of weapons and explosives on Friday night while raiding a property in the Vandepeerboom Street area of Molenbeek in Brussels, local media reported. According to Belgian daily La Capitale, “a large arsenal of weapons and ammunition" has been discovered, along with explosives.
Police in Turkey have arrested three Islamic State militants, including one who scouted locations for the deadly November 13 attacks in Paris. According to the local Dogan news agency, 26-year-old Ahmet Dahmani was detained in a luxury hotel in the southern Turkish coastal city of Antalya, where a G20 world leaders' summit took place just days earlier.
The Strasbourg Mosque staged an open door ceremony on Friday to commemorate the victims of the Paris attacks that took place one week ago.
The Belgian government has raised its “terrorism alert” for the capital city of Brussels to its highest possible level, AFP reported citing a statement.
“Following our latest evaluation... the center has raised its terror alert to level 4, signifying a very serious threat, for the Brussels region,” a statement from the OCAM national crisis center said. “The analysis shows a serious and imminent threat requiring specific security measures as well as detailed recommendations to the population.”
20 November 2015
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the top suspect behind the Paris attacks, appeared on Croix de Chavaux metro station CCTV footage at 10:14pm. By that time, the shootings and suicide bomb attacks at restaurants and cafes in downtown Paris were over, but the shootout at the Bataclan theater was still underway, Reuters cites a police source as saying.
The Croix de Chavaux metro station is in the Paris suburb of Montreuil, not far from where one of the cars used by the terrorists was later found. Moroccan-born Abaaoud was killed on Wednesday when police stormed an apartment where he was hiding with fellow Islamists.
Swedish police on Thursday arrested a young Iraqi man suspected of preparing a terror attack in the capital Stockholm, writes website The Local, citing Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter. Moder Mothama Magid, 22, was detained at housing for asylum seekers run by the Swedish Migration Agency in Boliden, in the vicinity of the city of Skellefteå in northern Sweden.
“The arrest took place in a calm manner and an interrogation with the person is planned,” the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) said in a statement.
Mourners held a vigil outside Le Carillon bar in Paris on Friday night, one week after the venue was targeted in a series of terror attacks that rocked the city last week.
The Dutch authorities have denied a report that the search for a key suspect linked to Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, has been expanded to include the Netherlands. The Ministry of Security and Justice officially refuted reports that there was an ongoing search for Abdeslam being conducted in the country. The claim initially appeared on CNN, citing a source close to the investigation.
Meanwhile, the country’s police arrested three people in the city of Rotterdam, which is in the southwestern part of Holland. The suspects were detained near a parked car with Belgian license plates.
The city’s mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, a prominent Muslim, was evacuated from a nearby restaurant as a safety precaution.
19 November 2015
It is possible there are more individuals or groups still at large linked to the attackers that killed 132 people in Paris last week, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said. He also admitted it is not known where suspect Salah Abdesalam is in France or Belgium.
"The threat is there. We don't know at this point in the investigation if there are groups, individuals, who are directly linked to the attack on Friday evening, in Paris, in Saint-Denis," Valls told France 2 television.
Nine people have been detained in nine separate raids on homes in Brussels, conducted simultaneously on Thursday, Belgian federal prosecutors said in a statement. Seven of the suspects have been arrested because of their links to Bilal Hadfi, who blew himself up near the Stade de France last Friday, and had been the subject of a police investigation since early this year. Police suspected that Hadfi had traveled to Syria to fight for Islamic State.
At least seven raids are being carried out in and around Brussels to track down accomplices of Bilal Hadfi, one of the Paris suicide bombers, AFP reported.
An anti-terrorist operation is currently underway in the Brussels suburbs of Molenbeek, an Islamist hotspot, Belgian press reported, adding that police are still searching for Salah Abdeslam, a primary suspect in the Paris attacks on Friday.
At least 247 jihadists who traveled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State, have returned to France, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said.
Terrorists may use “chemical or biological weapons” in their attacks, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said, adding that the state of emergency in France could last up to three months.
"We must not rule anything out. I say it with all the precautions needed. But we know and bear in mind that there is also a risk of chemical or bacteriological weapons," Valls said, "The macabre imagination of the masterminds is limitless.”
Belgium’s DH newspaper has released a photo allegedly of the woman who blew herself up with an explosive vest during an anti-terrorist raid in suburbs of Saint-Denis, northern Paris, on Wednesday.
Hasna Aitboulahcen, 26, was the cousin of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a suspected mastermind of Paris attacks last Friday.
At least eight people were arrested following raids in Saint Denis on Wednesday, police said.
At least one person has been detained in the Brussels suburb of Laeken, Belgian RTBF cited police sources as saying, adding that several searches were carried out by law enforcers overnight.
18 November 2015
A teacher at a Jewish school in the southern French city of Marseilles was stabbed by Islamic State supporters, Reuters reported.
“The three people insulted, threatened and then stabbed their victim in the arm and leg. They were interrupted by the arrival of a car and fled,” Marseilles prosecutor Brice Robin said, adding that the victim’s life wasn’t in danger.
The French government has banned two marches planned for November and December to coincide with international climate talks in Paris, citing security concerns, Reuters reported. Demonstrations organized in closed spaces or in places where “additional risks” can be avoided have not been affected and will be allowed to go on as planned.
Environmental activists hoped the Paris marches would attract some 200,000, but said they now might shift their focus to mobilizing the climate movement in other cities.
The terrorists traveled from Belgium to Paris in a convoy of three cars prior to the attacks on Friday, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins announced at a news conference on Wednesday. The vehicles – all small passenger cars – had been rented.
Investigators found a large number of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles and explosives, allegedly belonging to the terrorists, the prosecutor said, adding that a mobile phone suspected to belong to one of the attackers has been discovered.
Eight people were arrested and two killed during a raid by French forces in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, including a female who blew herself up with a suicide vest, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters on Wednesday. Only body parts were left after the siege and investigators are now using DNA analysis to determine the identities of the dead terrorists, the official said.
There have been reports that the alleged sponsor and mastermind of the Paris massacre, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was one of those killed during the special operation. The French prosecutor did not confirm these reports, but said that Abaaoud was not among the terrorists detained alive.
Police have carried out two raids in Roissy, near Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, according to French newspaper Libération.
The raids reportedly took place at an Air France hangar and Fedex offices.
The raids "were not directly related to the attacks" in Paris, the local authority responsible for airport security told the newspaper, but were related to “several objectives, including investigations into elements linked to radicalization."
The American band Eagles of Death Metal, which was playing at the Bataclan when gunmen opened fire on the crowd, has returned home and suspended all further shows, the band said in a statement.
The Twitter account @ParisVictims has been set up honoring each of the 129 victims of Friday's attacks with a photo and a short bio. The account, which says it is a project of the website Mashable, already has over 38,000 followers.
The woman who reportedly blew herself up during the Saint-Denis raid on Wednesday morning may have been the cousin of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks, a source close to the investigation told Reuters.
Of the 352 people injured in the Friday attacks, 195 remain in hospital. Forty-one are in intensive care and three are in life-threatening condition, according to French health minister Marisol Touraine.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says that France's spending to boost it security should get special treatment under EU budget deficit rules.
“We are facing serious terrorist acts. France, as other countries, has to have at its disposal supplementary means. I think that these supplementary means should not be treated as ordinary expenses in the Stability Pact (EU budget rules),” Juncker told a conference in Brussels.
There are reports that Paris' Gare du Nord station has reopened after being evacuated due to a security alert.
The public prosecutor of Paris, Francois Molins, will hold a press conference Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. GMT.
One of the British Royal Navy's most advanced warships, HMS Defender, will support France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier as it deploys to the Gulf, UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said. He added that the British warship will provide air defense cover for the aircraft carrier, France 24 reported.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is on its way to the eastern Mediterranean to assist in France's airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria, will be in place by the end of the week, according to France's Defense Ministry.
It is possible that more than two people died in this morning's raid in the French city of Saint-Denis, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said during question time in France's National Assembly, France 24 reported. He did not provide further details.
Sweden's security police (SAPO) has raised the country's threat level to four on a scale of five, citing "concrete information."
"One of the reasons for the increase is that the Security Police have received concrete information and made a judgement that we need to act within the framework of our counter-terrorism operations," SAPO said in a statement.
Level four means there is a high probability that "persons have the intent and ability to carry out an attack."
According to a report in the Parisien, a man has barricaded himself in a post office in the Pierrefitte-sur-Seine commune in the Saint Denis suburb of Paris. At least 1000 police officers and a helicopter have been deployed at the scene.
Two administrative searches have been conducted at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, also known as Roissy Airport, authorities at the hub confirmed.
"There is no direct connection with the [Paris] attacks, but [the search] is being carried out for several reasons, including elements in connection with radicalization."
France will not "give in to fear," President Francois Hollande told a press conference after the end of the anti-terrorist operation in Saint-Denis.
"What would our country be without its cafes, concerts, sport events and museums?" he said, adding, "Life must resume in full," and, "Our tourists can be welcomed."
Schools and colleges in the center of Saint Denis will stay closed for the day, an official from the prefecture of Seine-Saint-Denis said.
At least five officers were injured during the anti-terrorist operation in Saint Denis, the French National Police said on Twitter.
Later at least 50 soldiers were deployed at the scene of the police operation in Saint Denis, according to RTL.
At least two extremists, including a female suicide bomber, have been killed during police anti-terrorist operation in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis. Seven people were arrested during the raid.
The primary target of the raid in Saint Denis was Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged sponsor and mastermind of Friday’s massacre in Paris, police said. Salah Abdeslam, another suspect in the attacks, was also reportedly targeted in the raid.
At least 15 people, including women and children, have been evacuated from a building in the area of the anti-terrorist operation, the Saint Denis Mayor’s Office told Le Figaro.
A police dog was also killed during the anti-terrorist raid in Saint-Denis.
French police have reportedly responded to a bomb alert in a hotel in the Paris suburb of Bobigny.
Two Air France planes flying to Paris from Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles were forced to divert to Halifax and Salt Lake City respectively due to anonymous bomb threats, the airline has confirmed.
Air France flight AF55 heading to Paris from Washington, DC was diverted to Halifax, with a total of 298 passengers and crew evacuated, while flight AF65 was diverted to Salt Lake City, with over 400 passengers evacuated.
The FBI said in a statement they are investigating in concert with several law enforcement agencies "to determine the nature of the threats which caused the aircraft to divert"
READ MORE: ‘Terror threat’ reported as 2 Air France flights from US to Paris forced into emergency landings
Reports of gunfire amid an unconfirmed police raid are coming from Saint-Denis area just outside Paris.
Residents of Saint-Denis were awakened by an exchange of gunfire in the middle of the night and people have taken to social media in an attempt to get more information. Some reports citing local police suggest a police raid is underway. People have been advised to stay calm and not leave their homes.
A video from where shots have allegedly been heard in Saint-Denis has surfaced on Twitter.
17 November 2015
France has decided to extend a state of emergency to its overseas territories, in addition to its domestic security measures.
“In light of recent developments announced by the President in response to the terrorist threat, the government decided to extend the state of emergency in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte,” the French overseas minister, George Pau-Langevin, said. The expansion also includes Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, two French territories in the Caribbean, as well as Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that a Russian woman, Natalia Muravyova (Boulygina-Laurent), who has been missing since the attack on the Bataclan concert hall was, indeed, killed by the terrorists. Her body has been identified by her husband.
The woman held both Russian and French citizenship.
“Yes, I have identified her,” Muravyeva’s husband, Serge Laurent, who was wounded in the attack, notified the Russian Embassy in Paris.
A new video has reportedly confirmed the existence of ninth attacker in Paris, AFP said citing a police source.
French investigators have also determined that there were three men in a car, from which attackers shot at bars and restaurants in Paris, Reuters reported.
“Three men were in the black Seat used to fire on the bar terraces and restaurants,” a judicial source told the news agency.
A cell phone believed to have been used by one of the attackers in the Paris shooting and bombing incidents last week has been recovered by the investigation, CNN reported.
Unnamed officials told the broadcaster that it contained a message to the effect of “OK, we’re ready.”
Belgian police have begun another raid in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in connection with the investigation into the Paris attacks.
Authorities now believe a second man directly responsible for Friday’s attacks was able to escape the crime scene, a source inside French police told AP. Seven of the attackers died on the same night, and one, Salah Abdeslam, is still on the run, but evidence has revealed that there was another accomplice, whose body has not been found. The source said that the second escapee has not been identified.
Seven people arrested by German police in the city of Aachen don’t appear to be directly linked to the militant attacks in Paris last Friday, Thomas de Maiziere, German interior minister, said.
"The assessment is not yet completed. But as things stand now, it does not appear to be the case that this is directly related to the attacks in Paris," de Maiziere said, cited by Reuters.
According to media reports, the seven arrested have already been released from custody.
German police say they've arrested two more people near the western city of Aachen in connection with the investigation into the Paris attacks, Reuters reported.
The two men were detained in an apartment building and their identity is now being established, local police said.
Earlier, a police SWAT team arrested two women and one man as they left a job center after receiving a tipoff from the public that the man might be a suspect in the attacks.
The brother of fugitive Salah Abdesalam has called for him to turn himself in, AP reports.
There have been two further arrests in Germany in connection with the Paris attacks, The Telegraph reports. The new arrests occurred in Alsdorf, the same town where three others were arrested earlier on Tuesday.
One of the main suspects in the Paris terror attacks, Salah Abdeslam, traveled to Austria for reasons that the authorities are not aware of, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitnertold ORF radio.
"One of the presumed culprits entered Austria from Germany in September," she said "Now the question is, ‘Where did he stay in Austria, and for what purpose?’ The investigative work is fully under way.”
German police have detained at least three people in the town of Alsdorf, western Germany, in connection with the Paris attacks, local media reported.
Numerous reports on social media say police are investigating a suspicious vehicle near the Belgian Consulate in the southern French city of Marseille.
“It is time for the EU, the Commission, to understand that this is a fight [against terrorism] which concerns France and Europe,” French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told France Inter radio.
Two men who are suspected to have helped Salah Abdslam to leave Paris after Friday's attacks, were charged on Monday in Brussels on charges of terrorism, Belgian press reported.
French police have continued anti-terror raids across the country. Three search operations reportedly took place in the city of Toulouse, southern France, and in the north-eastern city of Reims. At least 128 anti-terrorist raids have been conducted across France overnight, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told France Info.
France launched its third airstrike in two days against Islamic State targets in the city of Raqqa, the defence ministry said.
"For the second time in 24 hours the French military conducted an air raid against Daesh [derogatory name for Islamic State] in Raqa [Raqqa] in Syria," the ministry said, adding that ten Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighters managed to drop at least 16 bombs.
"Both targets were hit and destroyed simultaneously…Conducted in coordination with US forces, the raid was aimed at sites identified during reconnaissance missions previously carried out by France."
Tuesday’s Belgium-Spain football match was called off by Belgium late on Monday after the government raised the country’s security threat level while authorities continue to pursue one of the suspects behind the Paris attacks.
“After consulting with the relevant bodies and the Spanish national team, the (Belgian FA) decided to cancel the match,” the Belgian football federation said in a statement. “Right at the end of the evening, the (federation) was contacted by the government which recommended that the Belgium-Spain match should not go ahead tomorrow night … It is in the context of a new elevated terrorist alert and the current pursuit of a suspect.”
The announcement came less than 24 hours prior to the start of the game.
16 November 2015
Several top EU officials, including Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, were unable to leave Turkey for Brussels on the Belgian Air Force plane due to “a security concern regarding their plane,” Reuters reported.
Tusk, President of the European Council; and Juncker, President of the European Commission, were grounded in the Turkish resort city of Antalya on Monday after meeting with G20 leaders, and will have to wait for another aircraft on Tuesday.
Turkish services have reportedly been investigating the security issue.
READ MORE: ‘Plane security concerns’ ground EU leaders in Turkey – report
Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul has proposed suspending refugee visas for those coming from 30 terror-threatened states, mimicking muscle-flexing moves from other GOP candidates. Jeb Bush has argued for more troops abroad, while Donald Trump has proposed closing mosques that spread terror at home.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Paris as a show of solidarity with France and to express "shared resolve to continue countering violent extremism here and around the world."
After declaring that France was "at war" with Islamic State, President Francois Hollande has introduced wide-sweeping measures. He has extended the state of emergency to three months, promised new police hires, and most significantly, proposed changes to the constitution, that would see the state being given greater powers, and having to deal with fewer bureaucratic limitations when fighting terrorists.
Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower has been lit up in the colors of the French tricolor after its lights were dimmed in mourning following Friday’s terror attacks.
The tower reopened to visitors on Monday afternoon and will remain lit up in blue, white and red for three nights.
In her address to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Theresa May says an attack is likely to happen in the UK but security will be 'intensified'.
Thousands of people gathered on the central square of Lille, Monday, to observe a moment of silence in tribute to the victims of Friday's attack on Paris that left 129 dead.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande may hold talks ahead of the climate change summit in Paris in late November, a Kremlin spokesman has told TASS.
“I saw a lot of police officers with weapons. About a hundred of them,” Mr Dibarie, the owner of a café located next to the site of the anti-terror operation in Molenbeek, told RT. He added that the residents of near-by houses were not able “to leave the buildings.”
Belgian authorities have released five of seven suspects who were arrested earlier with links to the Paris attacks, according to prosecutors.
"It is correct that five people have been released, the judge still has to decide about the two others," a spokesman for the prosecutors said.
Belgium police forces have been deployed in the town of Arlon on the border with Luxemburg, Belgian media said. The officers are said to be looking for a car registered in France.
Earlier reports emerged that a suspicious car with three armed men was spotted in the suburbs of the French city of Nancy on Monday morning. The vehicle is apparently linked to the Paris attacks.
Belgian authorities have released the brother of one of the terrorists behind the Paris attacks, the prosecutor has said, as cited by AFP.
Police in Morocco have arrested four people who reportedly have links to Islamic State militants, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said. The suspects are said to belong to a radical cell in the city of Beni Mellal in central Morocco.
French authorities have put at least 104 people under house arrest in the last 24 hours, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said during a press conference.
He added 23 people have been detained and 31 weapons seized in raids since Friday’s attacks.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian national currently in Syria, is suspected of having ordered Friday’s attacks, sources close to the investigation said, according to Reuters.
Fingerprints from one of the terrorists, who mounted the attack at the Stade de France in Paris, seem to match the prints of a Syrian man registered in Greece in October, a Paris prosecutor said.
"At this stage, while the authenticity of a passport in the name of Ahmad al Mohammad, born September 10 1990 in Idlib, Syria needs to be verified, there are similarities between the fingerprints of the suicide bomber and those taken during [passport] control in Greece in October," the prosecutor added.
The Paris prosecutor has confirmed the identities of five terrorists responsible for Friday’s attacks, BFMTV reported. One was identified as Samy Amimour, born in 1987 in Drancy, a northeastern suburb of Paris. He was known to anti-terrorist services, having previously been indicted October 19, 2012.
The raids in the city of Lyon in east-central France have resulted in at least five arrested and seizure of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, French BFMTV reported.
Investigators have identified the sponsor behind the Paris attacks as Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, a Belgian native, France RTL radio said.
Abaaoud was reportedly one of the most active Islamic State executioners in Syria. He is believed to be from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, the same area where another suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was raised.
France had the “legitimacy” to conduct airstrikes in Raqqa against Islamic State, the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Turkey.
The air raid was a “political” decision, he said which shows that France is “present and active” following Friday’s attacks.
Police backed by riot units undertook a major anti-terror sweep in the Grenoble area in the south east of France.
According to a local paper Le Dauphine, the operation that started around 1 am and ended with more than a half dozen arrests. Weapons and money were reportedly seized.
Around 20 security forces vehicles were involved in raids in Jeumont, near the French border with Belgium, around Rue du Docteur Laennec, where a building was being searched, the L’Observateur la Sambre publication reports.
The Parisian suburb of Bobigny was also raided overnight, with several homes searched, according to the Guardian.
At least three people have been placed in custody after raids were carried out in the French city of Toulouse, iTELE reports.
A provision to close down radical mosques is to be discussed by the French Cabinet, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced on Sunday.
Cazeneuve said that the government seeks the "dissolution of mosques where hate is preached." The minister believes that the state of emergency should allow the government to act more rapidly and also deport those who preach hatred in France or if they are suspected of involvement in terrorist actions.
French Police have conducted searches at an apartment in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris in connection with Friday night’s attacks, local media reports. The results of the raid were not disclosed. According to reports, police also interviewed residents.
Worshipers at the Grand Synagogue in Paris have been mourning Friday’s terror victims by singing the French national anthem, the ‘La Marseillaise.’ The inspirational melody was used as a rallying call during the French Revolution.
15 November 2015
The French military has published a video of its jets taking off on a raid targeting terrorists in Islamic State’s de facto capital, Raqqa.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Notre Dame in Paris, Sunday, to commemorate the victims of Friday's terrorist attacks in the city.
The death toll from the Paris terror attacks remains at 129, the Assistance publique – Hopitaux de Paris, the public hospital system of the city of Paris and its suburbs, has said denying earlier media reports of death toll rising to 132.
The misunderstanding took place as the hospital administration issued information about three patients, who died in hospitals. The media added those three to the death toll of 129 announced earlier. However, they had already been included in the official toll.
The French Air Force has carried out strikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters in Northern Syria. Ten fighter jets dropped 20 bombs over the IS held city of Raqqa. According to the Defense Ministry, the strikes destroyed a command and control center, munitions depot, as well as a training camp and jihadi recruitment center.
READ MORE: French jets bomb ISIS command center, other targets in Raqqa
The panic around the Place de la Republique in central Paris was triggered by a false alarm, police have stated.
People had gathered at the square in the heart of the French capital to remember the victims and those injured in the November 13 attacks. They heard loud sounds, which they believed were shots being fired. Police urged members of the public to seek shelter.
The police later established that firecrackers being left off caused the panic.
The incident occurred near the Le Carillon bar, which was the scene of one of the November 13 attacks.
The death toll from the Paris terrorist attacks has risen to 132 after three people lost their lives in hospitals around the city after failing to recover from their injuries, AFP reports.
Hundreds of people who had been gathered at Place de la Republique in central Paris dispersed suddenly on Sunday evening for reasons that were not clear, a Reuters witness said.
The people suddenly all began running away from the square.
At least one person has been injured after a shootout took place in the heart of the French capital – on the Saint Martin street, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports. Police have arrived at the scene.
President Hollande plans to prolong the state of emergency for a further three months, Le Figaro reports. The newspaper said a bill is going to be presented on Wednesday and will subsequently be examined by the French parliament.
French police have posted a tweet with a photo of an individual who is suspected of being involved in the terror attacks in Paris on November 13. Police said that the suspect is a French national.
Three brothers were involved in the Paris terror attacks, a security source has told AFP, adding that one of them may be at large.
Two of the attackers involved in the Paris attacks were French nationals residing in Brussels and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean - a municipality of the Brussels-Capital region - Belgian public broadcaster RTBF has reported, citing the federal prosecutor's office.
Seven arrests have been made in Belgium in connection with the attacks in Paris, according to a Belgian official, as cited by AP.
Along with three Kalashnikovs, police discovered five full magazines and 11 empty ones in what is the suspected getaway vehicle used by the terrorists after the Paris attacks.
Police in Belgium have made another two arrests connected with the Paris attacks, according to Francoise Schepmans, the mayor of the Molenbeek district of Brussels. Three people were arrested earlier.
A car found near the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, where the deadliest attack was carried out on Friday, had been hired in Belgium, French and Belgian prosecutors said.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said, “the government will be very attentive towards any effective suggestions from the opposition,” in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.
In the wake of the Paris attacks, the leaders of the world's 20 most powerful countries meeting in Turkey have agreed to step up border controls and aviation security, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters. They have condemned the attacks, claimed by Islamic State, as "heinous" and said they remained united in the fight against terrorism, according to the draft document. The finalized document is expected to be released later on Sunday.
The bodies of 103 victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris have been identified, Le Nouvel Observateur reports, citing French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. Another “20 to 30” bodies have yet to be identified, Valls said while visiting the rehabilitation center for the victims’ families. The latest updates from the Paris Prefect Office released late on Saturday night indicate a minimum of 129 dead, with 99 people still in a critical condition.
Three AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles have been found in the Seat vehicle discovered this morning by the police in Montreuil, AFP reports citing official sources. The authorities believe the car was used by the terrorists that carried out the attacks in Paris on Friday.
French police have found the second car terrorists used for the attacks, AFP reports citing sources in the public prosecutor’s office. A black Seat Leon was reportedly used to attack and shoot at the restaurants and bars in 10th and 11th districts. The vehicle was located in Montreuil, an eastern suburb of Paris. A group of terrorists might have used it to escape, French channel Europe 1 reports. The first terrorist vehicle was discovered on Saturday.
Six relatives of the first identified Paris attacker, Omar Ismail Mostefai, have been arrested in France, AFP reports. According to French law they can be detained without charges for up to four days. Mostefai is said to have been one of the group of at least three terrorists that attacked Bataclan on Friday. When the police stormed the building, he blew himself up. The terrorist’s body was identified by fingerprints.
Moscow hopes the tragic events in Paris will prompt NATO members to change their approach to the fight against terrorism.
"The events in Paris will probably put things into perspective, slightly changing the scale of priorities of our colleagues in Washington and other NATO capitals," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Sunday.
G20 leaders will open the summit with discussions focusing on the Paris terrorist acts. They will make adjustments in their final statement on terrorism, Russia's G20 envoy Svetlana Lukash told journalists on Sunday. “I'm sure the leaders will start the meeting with expressing condolences to the families of the victims and for all those affected, drawing specific conclusions about these events,” she said. Lukash said it's unlikely for the upcoming statement to feature concrete steps in the fight against terrorism. "There won't be specific opinions about countries or extremist groups, but more likely a common approach to the fight against terrorism, which G20 leaders agree upon.” A separate part of the statement will be devoted to the refugee crisis, according to Lucash "I do not think that at the level of the document you will see a solution to the problem,” she said.
Two of the attackers were between 15 and 18 years old, a forensic source told radio Europe 1, according to Le Figaro.
Three people suspected of having links with the Paris attacks were arrested in Belgium on Saturday. Prime Minister Charles Michel said at least one of the arrested was believed to have spent the previous evening in Paris.
"Police operations will go on," Michel told RTL television, as cited by Reuters.
One of the Paris attackers has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Ismail Mostefai, French media report. The man is said to have been identified by his finger. Mostefai had eight convictions for petty crimes between 2004 and 2010, but never went to jail, AFP reported. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Mostefai had "never been implicated in an investigation or a terrorist association."
Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has urged the international community not to link the Paris massacre to the massive refugee and migrant crisis that has gripped Europe.
"I would like to make this urgent plea to avoid drawing such swift links to the situation surrounding refugees," he said, adding that there have already been "appalling scales of attacks against asylum seekers and asylum seeker shelters."
The French Educational Ministry has issued a statement where it calls on all educational establishments across the country to organize speeches in relation to the Paris terror attacks.
“The deadly attacks on November 13 in Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis have violated the values of our Republic and our school. The School, in respect of students, has a key responsibility: to reassure and explain,” wrote the ministry. A minute’s silence will be held at educational institutions on Monday.
Each teacher is asked to organize an event taking into consideration the children’s age.
“This dialogue is an essential educational work to support children and adolescents in managing their emotions and complete understanding of these violent events,” the ministry added.
Chile’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that three its citizens have been killed in Paris massacre.
The French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche that France should target "all the capabilities" of Islamic State, from the group’s training centers to its oil terminals.
"France was hit by an act of war," he said "Daesh [derogatory Arabic term for Islamic State] is a real terrorist army and we must fight everywhere.”
However, the Syrian passport found at the site of the attack might be fake, a US intelligence official told CBS News, pointing out that it did not contain the correct numbers for a legitimate Syrian document and the picture did not match the name.
The National Football League (NFL) says it will increase security following the Paris attacks, according to spokesman Brian McCarthy. He added that there will be greater safety checks at the venues and parking lots.
US Justice Department officials are in touch with the French authorities and have offered their full cooperation, Reuters reports. Earlier law enforcement officials announced that the FBI will send a team of agents to France to help with the investigation and the recovering of evidence from electronic devices.
14 November 2015
Hundreds gathered in front of the White House to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.
A second person who was reportedly involved in the Paris massacre is “very likely” to have entered European Union via Greece, sources in the Greek government told Reuters. Earlier Greece's deputy minister in charge of police said a Syrian man whose passport was found at one of the suicide bombing sites made it to the EU through Greece in October.
A spokesman for the Accor hotel chain, which operates the Pullman Hotel, also confirmed that the earlier incident was a false bomb alert.
A spokesman for the French Interior Ministry has told Reuters that the incident at the hotel in the center of Paris was a false alarm.
Heavily armed police have been deployed at the Pullman Hotel in Paris' 15th district, according to witnesses, who said the officers were searching through rooms. An evacuation has also been reported to have taken place near the Eiffel Tower.
Police in Paris have evacuated an area around the Eiffel tower, Reuters reports, citing witnesses.
At least two Americans from California have been killed in the Paris attacks, intelligence officials told NBC.
France and the French are not safe, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front said in a speech. She says urgent action needs to be taken, especially to rebuild French military resources, the police, the gendarmerie, intelligence and customs.
Le Pen also said the question of who are France’s allies and who are her enemies should be looked at. She said that countries who support the terrorists should be classed as enemies, while all those fighting the militants are French allies.
The National Front leader also praised President Hollande’s decision to declare a state of emergency and to establish border control. “Without border control security is impossible,” Le Pen said.
The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says France will continue airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria after the terror group claimed responsibility for the Friday attacks in Paris. Speaking to TF1 television, he also said the authorities planned to extend a state of emergency imposed across the country.
"We are at war. We therefore take exceptional measures. And this war - we will win," Valls said in his Twitter.
The Belgian prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the terrorist attacks in Paris, AP reports.
The investigators are tracing information regarding a hire car, which was rented in Brussels and then found outside the Bataclan concert hall, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Several suspects have been arrested in a police raid in Brussels, the statement also confirmed.
The death toll in the terrorist attacks on Friday has risen to 129 while 352 people were injured, 99 of whom are currently in a critical condition, a Paris prosecutor office has reported, as cited by AP.
In a video statement regarding the terrorist attacks in Paris, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, promised to “fight the threat together with all necessary means and ruthless determination.”
“Today we stand united with the French people and the government of France… Everything that can be done at European level to make France safe will be done,” Tusk added.
“We, Europeans will always remember November 13, 2015 as a European day of mourning,” he concluded.
Speaking after the Syrian peace talks in Vienna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there is an urgent need for an international coalition to fight Islamic State.
There are no reasons to suggest anyone other than Islamic State is responsible for the Paris terrorist attacks, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday in Vienna.
A Syrian man whose passport was found earlier today next to one of the suicide bombers made it to the EU through Greece in October, Greece's deputy minister in charge of police, Nikos Toscas said, Reuters reports.
"The holder of the passport passed through the island of Leros on October 3, 2015, where he was identified according to EU rules," he said.
Speaking in front of the Imperial Hotel in Vienna, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil urged the countries to stop “arguing on details” and proceed to “concrete actions” in the fight against terrorism.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has expressed his sympathy over the attacks in Paris, calling it a global outrage that “requires a global response.”
US President Barack Obama will hold a meeting with the US National Security Council to discuss the terrorist attacks in Paris just before he leaves for the G20 Summit in Turkey.
“Before departing for the G20 Summit, the president will convene his National Security Council to review the latest intelligence surrounding the attacks in Paris,” a White House official said, according to Reuters.
A passenger jet bound for France was grounded at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and searched after a threatening message concerning the flight was posted on Twitter, Dutch border police said, Reuters reports.
The airliner operated by Franco-Dutch airline Air FranceKLM had been due to depart around 1345 GMT. The search took an hour, a police spokesman said.
In a telephone call with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said the United States is “committed to helping France in any way,” according to a Pentagon statement.
Just before the peace Syria talks in Vienna started, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the terrorist attacks in Paris, calling them “unacceptable acts” of “modern fascism” and promising “no tolerance” to the perpetrators.
Another passport, belonging to an Egyptian citizen, has been found next to the body of another suspected terrorist near the Stade de France, BFM TV reported.
Police have established the identity of one of the terrorists behind the attacks on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris. His fingerprints have been used to identify him. The attacker was a French citizen, BFM TV reported.
The authorities haven’t disclosed the man’s name yet.
It comes about an hour after a Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the suicide bombers who blew himself up near the Stade de France, sources close the investigation in Paris told Reuters.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has authorized local authorities to impose curfews if needed, according to his televised address.
Bloodstains and personal belongings can be seen outside the Bataclan cafe and theater in Paris. The area still remains cordoned off.
There were American citizens among those injured in the attacks in Paris, the US State Department reported, according to Reuters.
The Netherlands will reinforce security measures at its borders and airports following the terrorist attacks in Paris, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday, Reuters reports.
"Our values and our rule of law are stronger than their fanaticism. ISIS (Islamic State) is our enemy. We are at war with ISIS. We are not at war with a country, a belief or with Islam," Rutte said.
Speaking to RT outside the French embassy in Moscow, Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Russian Council Federation Committee on International Affairs, has expressed his deepest condolences to the French people, saying the tragedy extends beyond France and is a “global” one.
Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars has issued a statement condemning the terrorist attack, saying that it goes contrary to Islamic values.
"Terrorists are not sanctioned by Islam and these acts are contrary to values of mercy it brought to the world," the statement obtained by the Saudi Press Agency goes, according to Reuters.
Islamic nations would have to make a “concerted effort" and assume a "unified moral stance" to eliminate terrorism, Saudi Arabia's highest religious body said.
A connection between a man arrested in Germany last week in possession of automatic weapons and explosives, and the attacks in Paris, has been "established," according to the president of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, as cited by Le Monde.
Video and photo from Elysee Palace official Vine account showing flags at half-mast.
France is stepping up security at its offices abroad, including embassies and consulates, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Saturday, according to Reuters.
"I have taken measures needed internationally to increase protection at all our sites, and by that I mean our embassies, consulates, cultural centers and schools," Fabius said, after talks on Syria in Vienna had ended.
Queue to the French embassy in Moscow - hundreds of meters to nearest metro station.
A Syrian passport has been found next to one of the suicide bombers at the Stad de France football stadium in Saint-Denis, Reuters reports, citing sources close to the investigation.
Following the attack on Paris on Friday evening, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called on the international community to join together to defeat terrorism whilst speaking to press in front of Vienna's Hotel Imperial, Saturday, before the next round of talks on the Syrian conflict.
Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano says border control have been tightened since the terror attacks in Paris.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has said Western support for insurgents in Syria fuelled the “expansion of terror” abroad, state media reported.
RT’s Peter Oliver, who flew in from Berlin to Paris this morning, said there was “no more security than I would have expected.”
However, getting into the center of Paris proved harder.
“I was asked to show documents on most occasions,” he said.
Oliver describes the mood of the people in the French capital as “defiant” and “somber,” saying he saw people in the streets shouting, “Freedom! We will always be free!”
The Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed at least 127 people in Paris. In an official statement the group said its fighters, armed with suicide bomb belts and machine guns, carried out the terror strikes at various locations they had pinpointed in the heart of the French capital.
Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov has said Russia will implement transport safety measures across the country following the terrorist attacks in Paris, RIA Novosti reported. The head of Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsia, Aleksandr Neradko, says authorities are considering restrictions on flights from Moscow to Paris.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said the Paris attacks "justify" the need to combat Islamic State and Al-Nusra.
"There is no justification for terrorist acts and no justification for us not [to do] much more to defeat ISIS, Al-Nusra and the like," Lavrov told reporters ahead of a meeting with his US counterpart John Kerry and United Nations special envoy Steffan de Mistura.
President Francois Hollande has announced three days of state mourning for the victims of the attacks.
"The country is in pain. I've ordered to extend national mourning for three days. Under the state of emergency, the police and the Army have been mobilized, and I salute their courage," Hollande said.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has condemned the attacks, saying this “savage terror” was what his country has endured for years, state media reported.
"What France suffered from savage terror is what the Syrian people have been enduring for over five years," Assad was quoted as saying on state media and Lebanese TV station al Mayadeen.
A day after gunmen killed at least 120 people in Paris, Islamic State has released an undated video threatening to attack France if bombings of its fighters continue. A bearded Arabic-speaking militant warns in the footage that as long as bombings go on, there will be no peace. The group's foreign media arm, Al-Hayat Media Centre, made the threat through a militant, calling on French Muslims to carry out attacks, according to Reuters.
The ‘Don du sang’ measure allows Parisians to find locations where they can donate blood for the terror attacks victims, according to a tweet from the organization.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry is ready to provide assistance to France over the deadly attacks in Paris. Rescuers, aviation, airmobile hospitals are all standing by, the Ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram expressing condolences to his French counterpart Francois Hollande, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
"This tragedy is another proof of the barbarian nature of terrorism, which challenges human civilization. Clearly, to effectively fight this evil, the entire international community should unite efforts," Putin said in the telegram.
"I would like to confirm the Russian side is ready for close cooperation with our French counterparts in investigating this crime in Paris. I hope the perpetrators will receive deserved punishment," the Russian president added.
A man carrying weapons in his car has been detained in Bavaria. German Federal Police are checking to ascertain whether he was involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris. “I can confirm the detention of a man who was carrying weapons in his car. Whether there is a direct link between him and the terrorist acts in Paris is currently being verified,” a German police representative told RIA Novosti on Saturday. Angela Merkel earlier pledged German help for France, saying her thoughts were with the victims "of the apparent terrorist attack."
The attacks in Paris will affect multilateral negotiations on the Syrian settlement, due to be held on Saturday in Vienna, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
"Without a doubt, what happened in Paris last night, cannot fail to affect the present atmosphere, and the negotiation process," she told reporters.
Zakharova has expressed support for the people of France. "This is moral support, these are the words that come from the heart, and of course, since we are all present here to somehow reach peace in the world, we'll need to do everything possible for our actions to show that we stand in solidarity," Zakharova added.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has expressed Russia’s condolences to the French people.
“We share the grief and pain of the French people. There can be no excuse for terrorist crimes. The tragedy in Paris demands that we all unite in our fight against extremism, and that we strongly and resolutely resist terrorism,” Medvedev said.
Police have re-opened the perimeter around one of the attack sites: the Le Carillon and Le Petit Cambodge restaurants in the 10th district of the French capital, journalists at the scene said on Twitter.
The NHL has advised hockey clubs to step up security after the deadly Paris attacks.
“We have sent an advisory to our clubs to be on heightened alert given today’s events in Paris,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said.
The NBA has “increased security measures” at their games, according to a statement on Friday.
David Cameron is set to chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee following the terror attacks in Paris, Downing Street said in an official statement.
The Vatican has condemned the attacks as “terrorist madness,” urging a decisive response to “homicidal hatred.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has cancelled his visit to Italy and France following the deadly attacks in Paris, according to Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif cited by the state news agency, IRNA.
"Due to the terrorist incidents in Paris and in coordination with the hosts, the Iranian president postponed his visit to Italy, Vatican and France to a more convenient time," Zarif said.
Paris has closed down many of its public spaces in response to terror attacks, saying on the city’s official Twitter account that “all of the city’s amenities” – schools, universities, museums, libraries, gyms, swimming pools and markets – will be shut down on Saturday.
Turkey, which hosts a summit of world leaders this weekend, has condemned attacks by gunmen and bombers in Paris as a crime against humanity, saying it fully supported France and its allies in the fight against terrorism.
"These attacks are not only against the French people but all humanity, democracy, freedoms and universal values. Terror has no religion, no nationality and represents no values. Terrorism is a crime against humanity," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's office said in a statement.
"Turkey is in full cooperation with France and other allied countries in the fight against terrorism ... and we will fight with full determination."
Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies (G20), including the US, China, Japan, Russia, Canada, Australia and Brazil, are to meet on Sunday and Monday in Antalya, to discuss the war in Syria and global security.
Traumatised victims and survivors of the attacks in Paris were taken to the ballroom of the 11th district's town hall, where a make-shift medical centre has been set up, Saturday morning.
The Chinese President Xi Jinping has condemned attacks in Paris and expressed his readiness to join France and the international community in stepping up security cooperation and combating terrorism, the Chinese foreign ministry said, according to Reuters. The Chinese and the French leaders spoke on the phone few hours after the attacks.
President Xi also offered condolences to the victims and their families.
The rock group U2 has canceled a concert in Paris that it was due to play on Saturday.
"We saw with shock and disbelief [the] events unfold in Paris and our hearts are with the victims and their families. We are devastated by the loss of life in the community of Eagles of Death Metal [...] . We hope and pray that all our fans in Paris are safe,” the band said in a statement, adding that the concert will proceed "at an appropriate time."
Two Swedish citizens may be among the victims of the attacks, the country's Foreign Ministry has said.
"We have information that one person of Swedish nationality was wounded by gunfire and another was killed," ministry spokesman Johan Tegel said.
Eight attackers have been killed in Paris attacks, according to AFP, citing a source close to the investigation.
Seven of the eight died after they detonated suicide belts and one was shot by police, the source said.
People throughout the US are offering their houses to those who were to travel to France, but were stranded due to the cancellation of flights to France.
People leaving Stade de France were singing the hymn la Marseillaise.
French police say all attackers have been killed.
According to Le Parisien, 4 people were killed and 50 wounded, including 11 critically at Stade de France, where explosions took place.
Over 100 people were killed and 11 injured at Bataclan where hostages were taken.
14 people were killed and 20 wounded at the restaurant at Bichat street
Four people were killed and 21 wounded, including 11 critically at Avenue de la république
19 people were killed and 23 wounded at Charonne street, including 13 critically
7 people were injured, including 3 critically at Boulevard Beaumarchais
Four police officers were killed during the concert hall raid, according to French media.
At least five terrorists involved in gruesome attacks have been neutralized, according to the Paris Public Prosecutor, Francois Molins.
According to numerous witnesses interviewed by French media, the attackers at Bataclan theater were saying their actions are retaliation for France's involvement in Syria.
Per AFP, French fighter jets have carried out 1,285 aerial missions, resulting in 271 strikes and the destruction of 459 targets in Iraq, since the start of the anti-ISIS campaign last year. Only two known strikes have been carried out in Syria, in late September.
People are still being taken to hospitals. The number of injured is yet not final.
Parisians are also using a Facebook launched service that allows users to notify their friends of their safety. Called the 'Safety Check', the tool, asks users if they are "in the affected area" and would like to notify their friends of their safety status.
To show solidarity with those caught up in the deadly attacks, Parisians are opening their doors to those who are stuck an unable to get home using the #PorteOuverte hashtag on Twitter.
READ MORE: #PorteOuverte: Parisians advertise ‘open doors’ for those stranded by terror attacks
Venues and bars have also been turned into temporary emergency centers, offering hot drinks and food to those affected.
American Airlines, the biggest global carrier in terms of passenger traffic, has announced it is delaying flights to Paris.
"Currently Charles de Gaulle International Airport is open, however, we are holding our remaining departures this evening to Paris until we have additional information," American Airlines spokesman Joshua Freed said.
"We will take up the fight, it will be merciless," President Hollande said in front of the Bataclan theater.
"Terrorists capable of such atrocities must know that a determined and united France will face them," Hollande said.
Belgium is tightening its border with France and has imposed security checks between two countries that will also affect rail and air arrivals, Reuters reports citing the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s spokesman.
Police are currently questioning the survivors of the Bataclan siege, France 24 reports. According to their report, one witness, quoting one of the alleged terrorists, blamed the onslaught on the policies of French President Francois Hollande in the wider Middle East.
President Hollande has arrived to the site of the attack at Bataclan theater.
According to Le Monde, the Elysee Palace announced that 1,500 additional soldiers have been mobilized.
BFM TV reports 112 people were killed in all Paris attack, saying that 70 were killed in Bataclan.
Paris officials tell Reuters that around 100 people were killed at the Bataclan concert hall during a hostage siege. At least another 40 people have died in other places around Paris.
Government ministers continue to hold a meeting to address violence in Paris on Friday night, the Elisee Palace said.
The French foreign ministry says airports will remain open and train transport is to continue functioning on schedule, Reuters reports.
Three suspected terrorists were killed during the assault on the Bataclan, reported AFP, citing police sources.
The American Embassy in Paris is doing everything to account for US citizens that could have suffered during Friday's attacks, Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement.
French President Francois Hollande is on his way to Bataclan theatre in Paris, the scene of a hostage siege.
Up to 100 people reported killed inside Bataclan theater.
President Francois Hollande has canceled his trip to Turkey for G20 summit after attacks on Friday night.
Reuters reporter on the scene at the Bataclan theatre says the special operation at the venue has concluded.
‘Eagles Of Death Metal,’ the band that was playing at the Bataclan, said on Facebook that they are still trying to account for all of their members.
“We are still currently trying to determine the safety and whereabouts of all our band and crew. Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation.”
“The last dazed survivors of the Bataclan siege have been evacuated, “ Liberation reports. “Multiple sources speak of ‘tens of dead’. One or two of the attackers have been killed.”
According to a Le Monde reporter at the scene, police at the Bacalan theatre have begun evacuating people.
Police are seen carrying out bodies out of the theater, it is unclear if they belong to dead or injured.
13 November 2015
Two attackers have been killed in the Bataclan theatre, France 24 reports citing sources.
French media report police has stormed the Bataclan concert hall, where dozens of people remain held hostage by terrorists.
Newspaper Liberation says there have been more explosion near the Balaclan theater, assuming police might be using grenades.
According ITele, the French authorities have asked television channels not to broadcast live footage from near the Bataclan.
Five of Paris’ metro lines have now been shut down. Lines 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11 have been affected.
The Liberation newspaper, quoting the police, say a total of 42 people have died in Paris on Friday night.
France 24 and Euronews are reporting that attacks happened at seven different locations around the capital.
Three attackers are holding hostages at the theater, according to iTele. They are refusing to negotiate with police.
Reuters reports several explosions heard near Bataclan theater where hostages were taken.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has expressed his deep condolences following a series of attacks in Paris, as he called for “immediate release” of the hostages held in a theatre.
President of the EU commission tweeted that he is “deeply shocked” by the events in Paris.
Investigation sources tell AFP, that the death toll has risen to at least 39 people.
Paris authorities announced the closure of all schools and universities in the French capital.
French police are deploying armored vehicles at the sites of the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his deep condolences for the “series of monstrous terrorist attacks in Paris.” He has offered his solidarity to French President Francois Hollande and to the people of France, the Kremlin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov told RIA.
Peskov added that Russia condemns such acts, and will offer any help it can to bring those responsible for attacks to justice.
Another shooting was reported at a shopping mall Les Halles near the Louvre
President Francois Hollande says he will close borders following what he called "unprecedented terrorrist attacks underway in Paris"
The French President Francois Hollande has declared a state of emergency and announced that France will close its borders.
The mayor of Paris has asked Parisians not to leave their homes.
Video from the site of the first attack on a restaurant.
The France 24 television channel now has reports of a possible fourth shooting at the Les Halles shopping mall. The reports have not been confirmed.
US president Barack Obama offered “full support” to France to overcome what he said appeared to be a terrorist attack, and noted that the US and France shared the bonds of “liberte, egalite and fraternite.”
“We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever kind of assistance the government and the people of France require,” Obama said.
At least 35 people are dead following shootouts and explosions in three separate locations in central Paris, AFP reports citing police. The French media meanwhile say that up to 40 people have been killed in a spate of attacks around the capital.
A facebook post from a person reportedly from inside the taken theater says there are many wounded people inside and the attackers might be shooting.
The attacks took place at the neighborhoods known for their vibrant night life where many people were expected to be out on a Friday night.
Hundreds still remain inside the football stadium near which explosions took place.
The exact number of people taken hostage at the Bataclan concert hall remains unknown. The media has reported varying figures, ranging from 60 to 100 people.
The British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “shocked” by the events on Friday night in Paris, saying via Twitter: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.”
The exact number of people taken hostage at the Bataclan concert hall remains unknown as numbers reported by press range from 60 to 100 people.
An explosion can clearly be heard from inside the Stade de France on this video. The French national team were in action against Germany. When the blast was audible, a large cheer could be heard going round the ground.
Journalists outside the theater where hostages were taken
Hundreds are staying inside the stadium following the attacks outside.
At least 26 people have been killed in violence in Paris, AP reports siting police sources. One of the police officials said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant while at least 15 others were killed in the Bataclan theater.
At least 15 people have been killed in attacks at Paris concert hall, AFP reports siting police. Another three were killed near Stade de France.
French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls joined the President Francois Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve for a crisis meeting, Le Monde reports.
The third attack was an explosion at Stade de France.
Another shooting incident reportedly occurred near the concert hall "Le Bataclan" in the 11th district. Some twenty shots were heard by a witness there.
The gunfire in Rue Bichat near a Cambodian restaurant erupted around 21:30 local time, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, near the Canal Saint-Martin.
Several shots were fired towards the terraces of restaurants and bars in the vicinity. Police are on site and have secured the perimeter.