Paris engulfed in a series of terrorist acts
Friday night, November 13, will certainly remain as one of the horrible experiences in the collective memory of the French. While thousands enjoyed a night out in restaurants and bars in downtown Paris, watched the performance at concert halls and watched the soccer match between France and Germany, attended by President Hollande, a few – so far unidentified – gunmen struck in several locations of the city.
Armed with AK-47s, according to the testimonies of the survivors and witnesses, terrorists stormed a Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge in the 10th district and a bar called La Belle Equipe in the 11th district, killing dozens in an indiscriminate fire. Other gunmen attacked people on Avenue de la Republique and Bataclan theater, and a suicide bomber reportedly blew himself up at the stadium where French national team was facing Germany.
In the first hours of the mass killings, the officials reported 14 killed at the Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, where the gunmen reportedly spread the bullets outside of the restaurant killing and wounding the diners; 19 killed Rue de Charonne in the 11th district outside the La Belle Equipe bar; 4 killed on Avenue de la Republique and 4 killed outside of the stadium, where the fans registered a loud blast while watching the game.
But, perhaps, the bloodiest site of all was the Bataclan theater, the concert hall where the American band Eagles of Death Metal was performing. As the news agencies reported the other incidents, police and SWAT teams readied to storm the hall where the terrorists were holding the hostages. Once the ordeal was over, security officials walked into the horrific scenes. With every minute, the number of dead was mounting. According to the preliminary information, 112 people were shot dead in the concert hall.
In total, 153 people were killed in the mass murder. Five terrorists were killed, three of them still wearing explosive belts while neutralized by the SWAT team at Bataclan theater. French officials also stated that some terrorists were still at large. State of emergency was declared by the French President shortly after the attacks.
