By Editor’s Note: All times listed are Eastern Standard.
AS OF 7:40pm
Authorities are still investigating the deadly terror attacks in Paris and are identifying the 129 victims. However, this live blog has now ended. As new developments unfold, we encourage our readers to seek one more than one source before jumping to conclusions or making public statements. We hope our readers in France and around the globe all remain safe.
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AS OF 5:00pm:
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls spoke Saturday night on French television announcing, “we are at war, and because we are at war we are taking exceptional measures.”
France has deployed thousands of soldiers onto the streets to reinforce safety.
The 129 victims are still being identified.
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AS OF 3:30pm:
The New York Times writes that the three suicide bombers who tried to enter the Stade de France all wore explosive vests. The first bomb exploded outside of the stadium’s main entrances. He killed himself and a bystander.
Shortly after, the second suicide bomber blew himself up outside of another stadium entrance. Then the third bomber denoted his vest just outside of a McDonald’s.
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AS OF: 2:00pm:
Belgian authorities have made three arrests linked to the Paris terror attacks.
The arrests at the Belgian border came after a vehicle with Belgian license plates was seen close to the Bataclan theater in Paris on Friday night. It was later identified as a rental vehicle.
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AS OF: 1:39pm
Paris prosecutor, Francois Mollin, spoke at a press conference to provide details on the investigation. He began by giving his condolences to the families affected by the attack. He thanked foreign governments for their support and assistance.
Mollin also said that 129 people have been killed, 352 injured, at least 90 of whom are in critical condition. Seven terrorists have been killed. He declared that three separate militant teams were involved in the coordinated attacks at six different Paris locations.
According to the Associated Press, Mollin said attackers in the Bataclan venue, where 89 people were killed, mentioned Syria and Iraq during the attacks.
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AS OF: 12:23pm
Nathalie Goulet, a French senate member, told CNN that the number of injured victims is 300, 80 of whom are in serious condition.
Several reports are emerging from CNN, The Guardian, and a number of French publications that three of the attackers from last night’s horrific attack in Paris were from Molenbeek, a neighborhood in Brussels. There is currently a raid underway in Brussels in connection with the attack.
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AS OF: 10:58am
French newspaper, Libération, reports that a French passport, Syrian passport, and Egyptian passport belonging to three attackers were found. The Egyptian and Syrian passports were found at the Stade de France.
Investigators at CNN indicate that there is a possibility the passports could be forgeries. The authenticity of the passports is not fully confirmed as the investigation continues.
According to Libération’s police and justice correspondent, the French national was identified by his fingerprint and was known to French police.
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AS OF: 9:00am
ISIS has claimed responsibility for these attacks by releasing a written statement in both Arabic and French.
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AS OF: 12:08am
The Guardian is reporting that 200 civilians have been injured in these attacks, 80 of them are in serious condition.
Death tolls are still unclear but are expected to rise.
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AS OF: 11:48pm
CNN reports and confirms that 7 out of 8 suicide bombers have died as a result of their vests exploding. Another terrorist has also been ‘neutralized’. Suspected gunmen are still at large.
Six locations in Paris were targeted in the attack: Stade de France, a stadium; Le Petit Cambodge, a restaurant; Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, a Parisian B&B; Bataclan, a convert venue; La Belle Equipe, a restaurant; and Avenue de la Republique, a highly populated street.
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AS OF: 11:34pm
According to UK publication, The Mirror, a refugee camp in Calais is ablaze. The camp houses some 6,000 migrants from Syria and North Africa. Authorities cannot confirm or deny if the fire is connected to the attacks in Paris.
French anti-migrant groups have posted videos of the inferno on Facebook but none have claimed responsibility for the event.
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AS OF: 10:45pm
The Associated Press reports that French police believe all the attackers are dead, however, authorities are searching for possible accomplices in Paris.
Alleged ISIS supporters have taken to Twitter to praise the attacks. This praise has motivated news outlets and authorities to believe ISIS is responsible, although no official statement of responsibility from ISIS has been released. No other terrorist organization has been confirmed as the perpetrator of the attacks.
All major cities are on high alert, including New York City.
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News broke out around 4PM ET of an attack in a restaurant in Paris that resulted in a number of casualties. In a separate report, the Associated Press reported an explosion in a bar near Stade de France, or the French Stadium, where Germany and France were playing a soccer game.
Shortly after, other reports emerged that a second shooting took place at the Bataclan, a popular music venue, where Eagles of Death, an American band, was playing. The Bataclan was under siege.
After Bataclan the Libération, a French newspaper, reported roughly 3 attacks outside Stade de France, where French President Francois Hollande was. Currently it is unconfirmed if this attack was due to a suicide bomb. President Hollande was rushed out of the stadium. He called an emergency meeting with the French Cabinet. President Hollande issued an order to shut down all French borders and deployed the French Army, a state of emergency has been declared. According to the Guardian:
“A state of emergency gives the French authorities powers to control traffic and close down public spaces.”
President Obama described the attacks as, “an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians.” He added:
“This is an attack not just on Paris. It’s an attack not just on the people of France. But this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share.”
A total of 7 attacks have been reported so far. These attacks have claimed the lives of at least 100 people, this number continues to grow as the news develops. According to the latest report from CNN, 4 attackers have been killed by French authorities. Three of the attackers were wearing explosive belts. There are still gunmen at large, although its unsure how many of them there are.
Parisians are encouraged to stay in doors. The hashtag, #PorteOuverte, which translates to ‘Open Door’, is going viral on Twitter for any Parisians who are near the location of the attacks and need a safe place to stay.
Numerous news outlet have already accused ISIS for the attack, although no reports have confirmed these allegations. Many people, including a guest on CNN, wrongfully blamed Syrian refugees – who are fleeing from ISIS and the Assad regime – for the attacks. A number of conservatives have taken to Twitter to express similar sentiments against Syrian refugees.
We urge our readers to be wary of unconfirmed reports and remind them that chaotic and devastating situations, such as this one, often result in inaccurate reports that circulate widely. Please remain patient until the situation is contained, better understood, and analyzed.
We also desperately hope that our readers are keeping Paris in their prayers.
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Image via NBC News
so you don’t think these were muslims?
Clearly there will be more backlashes from now from the developed countries towards Muslims and Islam in general after seeing these gory incidents. Seems, it was just going to happen over time as militant religiosity is still not curbed effectively.
Ilisha Mod Rupert • 8 hours ago
I have a simple, straightforward response for you. If people in the West don’t want to experience terrorism, people in the West need to insist their governments stop terrorizing others.
You can’t reasonably demand that Muslims be pacifists while your countries engage in unlimited violence in other people’s lands. This is blowback, just as the attacker’s themselves clearly said.
Well, I generally avoid commenting on personal views but in case of that Mod, I think that she’s gone awry in every sense. She has lost the rational ability to treat people based on their good conduct. Giving wholesale rights to Islamist whether in political, economic or whatever basis is likely to ascerbate the situation which is at present today. Religion doesn’t have the right to dictate terms on how you should perform your duties and progress but she is comfortable to the idea of being bondage/slave to a religion wholly. If Islam was such a good religion in itself than all the Muslims would have united in rooting out the fundamentalist/radical outfits like ISIS, Taliban, Boko Haram but instead, they are just relishing it as someone who would bring their cherished Ummah to them.
Regarding pointing accusation at West, she has to remember that these Muslim nations depend on West for their survival, for their oil sales, for their economic progress. The day the West would shun off these self-appointed custodian of oil-wealth from them, that day will start the demise of these Islamic countries in wholesale fashion. And I also don’t think that any Islamic country really fought for it’s independence from the West just like the people of India struggled against the British rule, they just got liberated due to political changes that were sweeping the region, nothing of note reminds me of any long arduous struggle for independence movement in these so-called Islamic countries from the oppression of West.
Regarding her assertion that West is interfering in Islamic countries then she can demand for UN intervention anytime but she somehow develop blindness to this aspect as per her own whims-n-fancies. She just wants to love Islam and accept it in toto whether the religion is bondage, bad, tyrant or whatever as she’s not a person who’s going to grant anyone to have the right of having freedom of thought, action and rationality which is something akin to the Chinese propaganda which brainwash it populace with the concept that as a person you’re unable to think any good for others so just accept the all-imposing govt. and in case of hers..the religion Islam.
no doubt. the funny thing about muslims, especially ilisha is they constantly complain about the west, yet they flee to the west. it is the height of hypocrisy. and they complain about western colonialism while celebrating Islamic colonialism.
I think personally she’s doing just her job being the moderator of the site. You have to be devil’s advocate if you wanna earn your bread on that site and she knows it perfectly. However, I do think that she do have perception of truth of her own but she wouldn’t be ever able to say that, maybe on some other fake ID, she would be telling it. Anyways, she does provide perfect lesson to many who think that they can get away with their being just good/bad. You’re bound to be insulted if you venture on some sites, but people go there to sharpen their teeths, they’ll be gnawing at others on some other site. Islamic faith holders sites do provide good training ground to the naive people about the world of manipulation, insults, deception, lies and what not rabid instincts while clearly assuaging the ego of someone in the name of Allah..the magnificent delusion.