Saturday, November 14, 2015

Terror in Paris: Six sites targeted by attackers

Terror in Paris: Six sites targeted by attackers

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American journalist describes scene of attacks in Paris
Officials in Paris have identified six sites in the French capital targeted by gunmen in Friday night's terror attack that killed at least 127 people.
LE BATACLAN
After earlier reports suggested that as many as 118 people were killed at this concert hall, the latest estimate from Parisian officials was that at least 87 people lost their lives. Four attackers first sprayed cafes outside the Bataclan with machine gun fire, then went inside and opened fire on the panicked audience, according to the Paris police chief.
As police closed in, the attackers detonated suicide vests, killing themselves and setting off explosions.
One of the best-known popular music venues in Paris, the Bataclan attracts a range of bands, and was set to host California-based band Eagles of Death Metal on Friday night.
The neighborhood around the concert hall, like many of the sites targeted Friday, is known for a vibrant nightlife. The club is on Boulevard Voltaire, in a trendy neighborhood at the intersection of the 10th, 11th and 3rd arrondissements, or city districts.
In addition to the carnage inside the hall, one of the attackers detonated a suicide bomb on Boulevard Voltaire near the music hall, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
STADE DE FRANCE
Two suicide attacks and another bombing were carried out simultaneously near the national soccer stadium, where France and Germany were playing a friendly match.
The attacks occurred near two of the stadium entrances and at a nearby McDonald's restaurant, according to Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area around the stadium.
He said at least three people died in the attacks.
French President Francois Hollande, who often attends national matches, was evacuated from the stadium. The 80,000-seat venue was built for the 1998 World Cup and is located in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, just under five miles from Le Bataclan.
LE CARILLON and LE PETIT CAMBODGE
Le Carillon, a bar-cafe, and the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge were both targeted with gunfire, killing around 14 people and leaving several gravely injured, according to Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins.
They are at the junction of Rue Bichat and Rue Alibert, approximately three-quarters of a mile northeast of Le Bataclan.
Witnesses described sounds like fireworks before they realized the gravity of the situation and tried to find a place to hide, or flee.
LA BELLE EQUIPE
The sidewalk terrace of this cafe on Rue de Charonne, approximately a mile southeast of Le Bataclan, was showered in gunfire, killing as many as 18 people, according to Molins.
Emergency workers covered bodies splayed on the sidewalk of the traditional Parisian cafe, whose name is a play on the expression "Le Belle Epoque."
In addition to the locations above, Molins said that five people were killed at a pizzeria in Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, an east-west street approximately half-a-mile northeast of the Bataclan. Witnesses said a man could be seen firing at the restaurant, known as La Casa Nostra, with a machine gun.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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