On Friday, Paris was the victim of multiple terrorist attacks over the course of the night. The attacks were carried out by the ISIS, the extremist militant group that has been violently claiming territory in Iraq and Syria.
There were multiple attacks in many places throughout Paris. The most deadly of them all was at the Bataclan Theatre, where the Eagles of Death Metal, an American band, were playing to their fans. About one hour into the show, sounds of bullets were heard as three un-masked men entered the building saying “Allahu akbar”. In addition to people being shot at, many were kept in the theatre as hostages. Witnesses who spoke to The Blaze recalled the attackers shooting the crowd, reloading, shooting again, reloading, and repeating this another time. Attackers were also said to have used hand grenades, and threw them into the crowds. Police stormed the theatre, and two of the three gunmen died by detonating suicide vests. The other attacker fell after he was shot by a policeman, and his vest exploded when he fell. The toll for this attack was 87 people.
Another attack took place during a soccer match between France and Germany in the Stade de France. During the game, explosions could be heard. The match was abruptly ended, and people stormed the field and tried to escape from the stadium. Viewers on TV that happened to be watching the match heard the explosions. France’s president was at the match as well as Germany’s. While Germany’s president stayed for the match, Hollande was escorted to safety. Two of the suicide bombers killed themselves outside the stadium, killing a bystander, while another killed himself at a nearby McDonald’s. After the explosions during the game, people left the stadium, singing the French National Anthem.
Fans and players were not informed of the attacks until after the game. After the game, players and fans were made aware of the situation. The exits were very heavily guarded, and the German team was told not to return to their hotel. This was partially due to a bomb threat against the hotel earlier in the day. The team slept in the stadium that night, and the French stayed with them and also slept with the German team as a way of showing a form of unity.
Other shootings took place at Le Carillon, where gunmen shot at people in the restaurant. The attack killed eleven, and the gunmen fled in either one or two cars according to witnesses. The gunmen shouted the phrase “Allahu akbar” as they attacked.
Another shooting was carried out at the Café Bonne Bière. According to witnesses, the man fired short bursts into people that were in the restaurant, which killed injured eight and killed five.
A third attack took place at the Belle Équipe, in which two gunmen step out of a car and started firing bullets. The attacks was carried out for several minutes, and nineteen were killed, with nine being critically injured.
Also, on Boulevard Voltaire, a man with a suicide vest injured fifteen. The attack took place after the man sat down in the Comptoir Voltaire. The man placed an order. Following this, he detonated a suicide vest, killing himself, but not others.
President Obama, who made a statement after the attacks, has said, “The killing of innocent people based on a twisted ideology is an attack not just on France, not just on Turkey, it is an attack on the civilized world.”
France’s president, Francois Hollande, has said, “France is at war.” France has been launching many more airstrikes on ISIS after the terrorists have attacked.
“This should never happen,” freshman Emily Choi-Slattery said. “It’s just not right. No one deserves this.”
Countries have shown their support for Paris by lighting monuments and places of popularity in blue, white, and red. Places such as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio, London Eye in London, and the World Trade Center, where fourteen years ago one of the worst terrorist attacks ever recorded took place.
More recently, in a raid in Saint-Denis, the city where the Stade de France is located, a raid has taken place to find the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks. During the raid, the police stormed the flat, with a woman killing herself by blowing herself up, and another being shot dead by the police. No police have been reported as injured or dead during the raid during the time of the writing of this article.
