Scores killed in Paris terror attacks at six separate sites

Dozens of people were reported dead Friday night following several separate terror attacks in and around Paris. AP Paris Correspondent Angela Charlton re-caps the latest from the ground

PARIS — Terrorists on a murderous rampage killed scores of people in multiple attacks in the French capital Friday night, including at least 100 held hostage at a concert hall before police swept in.

Explosions and gunfire erupted as the heavily armed security forces poured into the theater where a California rock group was playing. One police official described “carnage” inside the building, saying the attackers tossed explosives at the hostages, then blew themselves up with suicide belts as police closed in, the Associated Press reported. It was unclear how many hostages were rescued.

Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor’s office said early Saturday that eight terrorists died in the attacks, seven of them in suicide bombings, according to AP. The eighth was killed by security forces in the attempt to rescue the hostages at the concert hall. Overall, at least 120 people were killed in the attacks at six sites across the city, Thibault-Lecuivre said.

She also said it is possible that terrorists tied to the attacks remain at large.

In addition to the scores of people killed at the concert venue, at least 11 died in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement and at least three died when bombs went off outside a stadium, police said.

It was the deadliest violence Paris has seen since World War II. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. organization that monitors extremist websites, said jihadists were celebrating the attacks on social media.

French President Hollande declared a state of emergency and took the unprecedented step of closing all borders late Friday after gunmen opened fire at multiple locations. Explosives were set off at the Stade de France, the national stadium, where Germany and France were holding a friendly soccer match with Hollande in attendance before he was whisked away. At least one of the explosions at the stadium was believed to have been caused by a suicide bomber.

“Terrorist attacks of unprecedented scale are underway,” Hollande said in a national TV address. “There have been dozens of deaths, there are many injured, it’s a horror.”

The attacks come just 11 months after 16 were killed in twin attacks at the Paris offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store outside the city.

“Once again we are under attack,” Hollande said, adding the French military was being deployed across the city. A curfew was in place in Paris for the first time since WWII.

“The terrorists want to scare us and instill fear,” he said. “There are reasons to be afraid, but the nation knows how to defend itself and mobilize its forces and how to defeat the terrorists.”

Parisians launched the hashtag #PorteOuverte, which translates to #OpenDoor, on Twitter to offer shelter and safety to those stranded in the city. French media reported that taxi drivers were turning off their meters and driving people home — or to safety — for free.

Facebook encouraged Paris-based users to “check in” with its Safety Check feature, which lets their Facebook friends know if they are in the area and safe.

President Obama’s View

In Washington, President Obama called the assaults an “attack on all humanity and the universal values we all share.” He added it was a “heartbreaking situation” and said he did not want to speculate about who may be responsible for the tragedy.

Police in major cities across the USA stepped up security Friday ahead of a weekend packed with sports events. Officials in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia said they had received no intelligence indicating any threats, but were stepping up patrols and taking other security precautions.

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