Major museums in the Paris region will remain closed on
Sunday, the French Culture and Communication Ministry said in
a statement.
The second day of closures will include some of the most
important French museums, namely the Louvre, the Musée
d’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou.
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9.33pm 21:33
The entrance of the Louvre is deserted after the museum was
closed following the deadly attacks on the capital. Photograph:
Reinhard Krause/Reuters
The LA Times has quoted US law enforcement officials with
knowledge of the French investigation, as saying that the attack
was seemingly planned in Belgium.
Friday night’s terror attacks in Paris apparently
began with a small cell in the neighborhoods of
Brussels, Belgium, where French authorities
believe that many of the terrorists were recruited
and that the attacks were planned and financed,
according to two US law enforcement officials
who have been advised about the ongoing French
probe.
The sources, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the investigation is in its
early stages and the French are leading the effort,
also said the terrorists likely were familiar with
French culture and Paris in particular, and that
it was “highly possible” some had lived there.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the
attacks and French President Francois Hollande
also blamed them, but the sources said the
multiple sites and soft targets hit in the attacks
pointed to Al Qaeda rather than Islamic State ,
and they stressed that authorities are still trying
to pin down who was behind the attacks.
(LA Times report here ).
Meanwhile, Barack Obama convened his National Security
Council to discuss the Paris attacks before departing for the G20
summit.
According to a statement circulated by the White House, the
Council was briefed on the latest intelligence, but noted that
there was “no specific or credible threat to the United States.”
The Council said that it had no information to contradict initial
reports from France that Isis was responsible for Friday night’s
massacre.
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9.25pm 21:25
The incident at the Pullman hotel was a false alert, the French
Interior Ministry spokesman has now said.
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9.18pm 21:18
Updated at 9.18pm GMT
Police have also closed down the Champ de Mars RER
underground station, near the Eiffel Tower, according to Reuters.
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9.09pm 21:09
A Fox News correspondent is at the Pullman Hotel:
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9.03pm 21:03
— Fox News (@FoxNews)
November 14, 2015
Harrigan at Pullman Hotel: "Police are now going room to room. We don't
know what's behind this move." #Paris @ANHQDC
pic.twitter.com/4lRqLw9oEV
Reuters is reporting that the area around the Eiffel Tower has
been evacuated, with heavy police activity around the Pullman
Hotel, in the seventh arrondissement. The Guardian has not yet
been able to confirm this.
Share
9.01pm 21:01
Updated at 9.02pm GMT
The France midfielder Lassana Diarra has revealed that his
cousin, Asta Diakité, was killed during Friday night’s attack.
Diarra played 80 minutes of the match against Germany. In a
statement posted on Twitter , he said his cousin was like “a big
sister to me … In this climate of terror, it is important for all of
us who are representatives of our country and its diversity to
speak and remain united against a horror that has no colour, no
religion.”
Diarra’s team-mate Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, said that his
sister Maude had escaped the attack at the Bataclan concert hall
which left at least 87 people dead.
Read more here .
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8.57pm 20:57
Updated at 9.05pm GMT
France plans to go ahead with a global climate change summit in
Paris at the end of the month despite Friday’s attacks. “It’s an
essential meeting for humanity,” said prime minister Manuel
Valls, ading that the summit would also be an opportunity for
world leaders to show their solidarity with France after the
attacks.
Almost 120 leaders are expected to attend the opening day of the
conference, which starts on 30 November and is expected to
result in a global deal to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Both
Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry plan to attend,
the White House said.
The White House says there is no information to contradict theattacks .
The National Security Council has briefed President Obama on
the events that occurred in the French capital and added that
there was “no specific or credible threat” against the United
States.
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8.25pm 20:25
Returning to the briefing earlier this evening from Paris
prosecutor Francois Molins, he gave a minute-by-minute account
of how the attacks in Paris unfolded:
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8.21pm 20:21
9.20pm One victim was killed when the first explosion went off
in Saint Denis near the Stade de France during a football match
between France and Germany. The body of a terrorist was found
at the scene wearing a suicide belt filled with shrapnel.
9.25pm 15 people were killed and 10 injured at Le Carillon bar
and Le Petit Cambodge restaurant in Rue Alibert in the city’s
10th district. Terrorists armed with kalashnikovs were seen
pulling up in a black Seat car before opening fire.
9.30pm A second explosion went off outside the Stade de
France. The body of another suicide bomber was discovered at
the scene with a similar explosive belt.
9.32pm Five people died and eight were injured in a shooting
outside La Bonne Biere bar in the 11th district. The gunmen
arrived in the same car and armed with similar weapons to the
first shooting.
9.36pm 19 people were killed and nine injured at La Belle
Equipe restaurant on Rue de Charonne in the 11th district. A
black Seat car was spotted at the scene and the gunmen were
again armed with kalashnikovs.
9.40pm One person was seriously injured when a suicide
explosive, similar to those used in the other attacks, was
detonated inside the Voltaire restaurant in Boulevard Voltaire,
11th district.
9.40pm 89 people were shot dead and “many” injured when
three armed men took hostages and opened fire into the crowd
during a rock concert at Le Bataclan. The attackers were heard
mentioning Syria and Iraq during the massacre. They arrived at
the venue in a black Polo car.
9.53pm Third explosion took place on Rue de la Coquerie, near
the Stade de France. The body of a third suicide bomber wearing
an explosive belt was found at the scene.
12.20am The three terrorists at Le Bataclan were killed. One
was shot dead by French police, the other two blew themselves
up.
Updated at 8.32pm GMT
Some footage that appears to have been filmed inside the
Bataclan theatre before the terrorists arrived has been posted by
the New York Post. It was apparently filmed by a young concert
goer and gives an insight into just how crowded the venue was.
The video pans around the space, showing the Eagles of Death
Metal on stage and the crowd enjoying the show. At a later stage,
you can hear her go upstairs and say that her phone is running
out of battery.
The woman appears to have streamed the footage on Periscope,
where the broadcast is no longer now available.
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8.05pm 20:05
Updated at 8.07pm GMT
The band that was playing at the Bataclan last night - the Eagles
of Death Metal - was signed to Universal Music. Pascal Nègre, the
label’s French boss, has tweeted (in French) after three young
staff members were killed by the attackers.
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7.48pm 19:48
— PascalNegre (@PascalNegre)
November 14, 2015
La famille Universal Music est en deuil : Thomas , Marie ,Manu . Nos pensées
vont à leurs familles et à leurs amis . RIP
Chris Johnston
U2 pays tribute to attack victims
My colleague Henry McDonald reported earlier that U2 frontman
Bono had described the Paris attacks as Islamic State’s first
targeting of music.
“When you think about it, the majority of victims from last
night’s attacks were music fans. So this really is the first direct
hit on music we’ve had in this so-called war on terror. We know
that they don’t like music … and this and the cold-blooded aspect
of last night’s attacks are what are really upsetting because it
means it could have been any of us,” he told a Dublin radio
station.
Now all four members of U2 have gone to a memorial near the
Bataclan venue in Paris tonight to pay their respects to those
who died.
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7.40pm 19:40
Lead singer Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton
pay homage to victims near the Bataclan concert hall in Paris.
Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 7.40pm GMT
New York’s Metropolitan Opera, led by Placido Domingo, has
mourned the victims of the attacks in Paris with an unscheduled
performance of the French national anthem.
Ahead of a matinee of Puccini’s Tosca, Domingo conducted the
orchestra in La Marseillaise as the Metropolitan Opera Chorus
sang the words in French on stage.
A slip of paper was put in all programmes at the opera house
with the lyrics to the anthem and an explanation that the song
was “a show of our solidarity with the citizens of France”.
Here’s a flash of it, courtesy of New York resident and baritone,
Erik Larson:
And here is some more from the Met’s Instagram account:
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7.23pm 19:23
— Erik E. Larson (@unamplified)
November 14, 2015
. @MetOpera performed the French National Anthem before today's matinee
performance of #Tosca . #Bravo. #Paris pic.twitter.com/yAzGNqaRFB
Updated at 7.47pm GMT
Briton killed in Paris named
The British man who was killed in the Paris
attacks has been named as Nick Alexander.
He was working for the band Eagles of Death
Metal that was playing at the Bataclan venue
on Friday.
His family said on Saturday:
“It is with huge sorrow that we can
confirm that our beloved Nick lost his
life at the Bataclan last night.
Nick was not just our brother, son and
uncle, he was everyone’s best friend -
generous, funny and fiercely loyal.
Nick died doing the job he loved and we
take great comfort in knowing how
much he was cherished by his friends
around the world.
Thank you for your thoughts and
respect for our family at this difficult
time. Peace and light.”
Share
7.22pm 19:22
Nick Alexander,
who was killed in
Paris on Friday night.
Photograph:
Alexander family
Updated at 8.27pm GMT
Chris Johnston
Paris prosecutor details six attacks
The Paris prosecutor said that there were six separate attacks in
Paris last night.
As many as 18 people died when the terrace of La Belle Equipe
(pictured above) was sprayed with gunfire, while about 14
people were killed at Le Carillon bar-cafe. There were also
shootings at the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge
and the La Casa Nostra pizzeria.
The vast majority of those killed were attending the concert at
the Bataclan concert hall, which was the fifth site, with the sixth
location being the State de France, where two attackers died
after detonating their explosive belts.
One of the gunmen at the Bataclan was shot by police, while the
other two attackers killed themselves with their explosive vests.
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7.11pm 19:11
La Belle Equipe, one of the venues targeted by gunmen in
Paris on Friday night. Photograph: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty
Images
Ben Quinn
The type of explosives used by the attackers - who were wearing
suicide vests - was TATP (triacetone triperoxide), according to the
Paris prosecutor.
Sometimes referred to as “Mother of Satan”, TATP is a type of
explosive that can be made with easily available chemicals that
can be developed in a cost-effective, simple way. It’s also
difficult to detect using police dogs and other conventional
means.
Not surprisingly, it’s been a favoured choice of terrorists for
some time. First developed by Palestinian bombers, it was used
as a detonator in 2001 by the so-called ‘shoe bomber”, Richard
Reid , a Briton who tried to blow up a transatlantic flight.
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6.57pm 18:57
Updated at 7.07pm GMT
Details have been provided by the Paris prosecutor about what
was found with the remains of the Paris attackers
The Bataclan theatre attack
One was said to have been from a Paris suburb and had been
known in the past for committing criminal acts.
Another had a Syrian passport. There were armed with what
were described as Kalashnikov automatic rifles.
At the Bataclan and at other sites, cartridges for 7.62 mm calibre
ammunition – a nominal calibre used for a number of different
cartridges – were recovered
The Stade de France attack
Syrian and Egyptian passports were found with the remains of
the attackers on the stadium in the north of Paris.
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6.56pm 18:56
Updated at 7.06pm GMT
Helena Smith
Meanwhile in Athens, Greek officials have told the Guardian that
it was now up to French authorities to identify the gunman who
was found with a Syrian passport. A picture has begun to emerge
of how authorities in Athens and Paris traced that passport to
Greece.
Well-placed Greek officials revealed that security forces in
Athens, contacted by French counterparts, were given the
passport’s serial number earlier on Saturday. Subsequent
investigation revealed that the unnamed passport holder had
indeed passed through Greek territory on 3 October.
“We found the serial number and we found the finger prints and
palm prints that are also taken [from every refugee] as part of
the Eurodat screening process. All this data is now held in the
pan-European database that all Schengen countries have access
to,” one well-placed insider told the Guardian.
But officials cautioned against “automatically concluding” that
the passport holder was the assailant. “It is now up to the French
authorities to match those finger prints with the remains of the
body [of the attacker] and to announce the identity,” the official
said. “Either this person passed through Greece posing as a
refugee or along the way he bought or stole the passport. It is
well known that Syrian passports are also extremely easy to
forge. At this stage either scenario is possible.”
Greece, like all European countries, has stepped up surveillance
of French interests in Athens following last night’s attacks.
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6.52pm 18:52
The Paris prosecutor said that one of the attackers was born on
21 November 1985 and was from the suburb of Courcouronnes,
about 20 miles south of Paris. He had had a criminal record since
2004 and was flagged as an Islamic extremist in 2010, but had
never spent time in jail.
A second gunman was found with a passport of a Syrian man
who had been born in 1980. He had not previously been known
to French police.
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6.43pm 18:43
Updated at 6.47pm GMT
One American woman killed during attacks
Raya Jalabi
A 23-year-old American woman was killed during the Paris
attacks, the Guardian has learned.
Twenty-year-old Nohemi Gonzalez, a student at California State
University, Long Beach, was killed on Friday night. Gonzalez, a
college junior, was in Paris attending Strate College of Design
during a semester abroad program.
“I’m deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Long Beach
State University student Nohemi Gonzalez. Our thoughts and
prayers are with her family and friends during this sad time,”
said CSULB president, Jane Close Conoley.
The university will hold a vigil on Sunday afternoon to mark her
death and the loss of lives in Paris.
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6.36pm 18:36
Updated at 7.56pm GMT
The Belgian connection
One of the cars used in the Paris attacks was registered to a
French citizen who was stopped at the French-Belgian border in
the company of two other people, according to the Paris
prosecutor. The three were living in Belgium and were said not
to have been known by French authorities.
Belgian authorities have already said that a number of arrests in
their jurisdiction came after a car with Belgian number plates
was seen close to the Bataclan theatre in Paris on Friday night.
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6.34pm 18:34
Belgian police cordon off a street in Brussels’ Molenbeek
district during a police raid in connection with the attacks in Paris.
Photograph: James Arthur Gekiere/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 7.06pm GMT
François Molins, the Paris prosecutor, says there seems to have
been three teams of coordinated gunmen involved in the attacks.
They are believed to have been split between the Stade de
France, a black Seat car seen at multiple locations where
shootings took place, and a black VW Polo car.
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6.31pm 18:31
Updated at 6.36pm GMT
The largest loss of life came at the Bataclan concert hall, the
prosecutor says . Here, attackers mentioned Syria and Iraq briefly.
Three terrorists died - one shot by police and two exploded their
suicide vests. There were 89 deaths and an unknown number of
injuries.
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6.23pm 18:23
Updated at 6.35pm GMT
The prosecutor is giving a detailed account of the evidence
gathered so far about the attacks. He begins with the events at
the Stade de France. The first explosion was at D gate, he says.
Two bodies found: one with an explosive belt with batteries, the
second victim a passerby.
Then, diners at a bar were attacked by gunmen who arrived in a
Seat car. Here, 15 people killed and 10 were injured.
At 9.30pm at H gate at the Stade de France, another gunman’s
body was found with a similar belt.
At 9.32pm, in the 11th arrondissement, there was another
shootout in front of a bar. Here, five are dead, eight injured.
Some 100 bullets were found. The attacker arrived in a black
Seat.
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6.21pm 18:21
Updated at 6.43pm GMT
The Paris prosecutor says that 129 people were killed and 352
people were injured, with at least 99 still in critical condition.
Seven terrorists have died following their actions.
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6.13pm 18:13
Updated at 6.22pm GMT
At least one British citizen killed in Paris attacks
At least one British citizen has been killed and a handful are
feared dead in the Paris terror attack, government sources have
said.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said the
death of one Briton had been confirmed but the person’s name
could not yet be released. “Next of kin have been informed but
have asked for privacy and time to come to terms with the news
before further details are released,” she said.
The number of UK deaths could rise. “We know of one death
already, we fear there may be a handful of British fatalities and
about the same number are being treated for their injuries in
hospital,” a Whitehall insider said.
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6.10pm 18:10
Summary
Our coverage of the fallout from the Paris attacks continues here.
We are awaiting a press conference by the Paris prosecutor’s
office shortly, where we may learn more details about the
attacks and the investigation.
Meanwhile, here are the main developments.
German authorities say they have “reasonable grounds to
believe” a man arrested in Bavaria earlier this month, in a car
loaded with explosives, may be linked to the Paris attacks. David
Cameron has said the UK must be braced for British casualties,
without going into specifics.
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5.47pm 17:47
The Islamic State militant group has released a statement claiming
responsibility for Friday night’s attacks and has threatened
further attacks against France. The group says the killings were
in response to airstrikes against its militants in Syria, adding
France would remain a “key target”.
President François Hollande also said Isis was to blame for the
terror attacks across Paris. He said the attacks were an “act of
war ” and declared three days of national mourning.
The death toll stands at 127, while about 200 are believed to
have been wounded, 99 seriously. Swedish, Belgian, Romanian
and Tunisian citizens are among the dead.
Eight gunmen were involved and all are understood to be
dead. One was French and was known to police.
Another gunman was found with a Syrian passport and
travelled to France through Greece last month.
Belgian police have conducted raids in Brussels and made
several arrests.
World leaders have expressed outrage , with many pledging to
help France with the ongoing investigation. Barack Obama says
America stands shoulder-to-shoulder with France. The Vatican
has also condemned the attack as “mad terrorist violence”.
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