Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The Paris attacks: What we know now

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As nations mourned Sunday the 129 killed in the Paris terror attacks, manhunts widened for possible killers on the loose.

Here's what we know:

Newest developments: French police said seven terrorists died conducting the attacks and on Sunday, authorities released the name of an eighth man still at large: Salah Abdeslam, 26, of Brussels. Prosecutor Francois Molins previously said most of the other terrorists committed suicide by detonating bomb belts. Meanwhile, seven people were detained Sunday in Belgium in connection with the attacks, according to the Associated Press. 
What happenedThree teams of terrorists carried out attacks at six sites in the city using seven suicide bombs. Eighty-nine people were killed at the Bataclan concert hall, where terrorists triggered explosives and fired shots during a performance by the California rock band Eagles of Death Metal, according to Molins. Other victims were killed at a stadium and at cafes.
State of emergency: French President Francois Hollande intends to extend the national state of emergency in France for three months, according to a report by Le Figaro newspaper on Twitter. 
Attacks overshadow G-20 summit: Leaders representing the world's top 20 economies gathered at a Turkish resortSunday. President Obama, who was in attendance, vowed to "stand in solidarity with them (G-20 nations) in hunting down the perpetrators of this crime and bringing them to justice." The two-day session is being held under tight security in Antalya, Turkey. Television cameras caught the image of Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, together with a translator and national security adviser Susan Rice, huddled over a coffee table in intense discussion at the summit for 35 minutes Sunday,
Mourning the dead: As the French observed three days of official mourning, ad hoc memorials grew and crowds gathered at the sites of the terrorist killings in Paris Sunday. Prayers, services and marches were held in Denmark, Norway and Finland, according to the Associated Press. In Berlin, 500 people spontaneously began singing La Marseillaise after marking a minute of silence for the victims, AP reported. Iyad Madani, the secretary-general of the largest coalition of Muslim nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, condemned the attacks and voiced "unwavering solidarity and support to France," AP reported. 
American victim: A 20-year-old college student from California was among those killed in the attacks, according to California State University, Long Beach, where she was a student. Nohemi Gonzalez, a college junior, was attending Strate College of Design in Paris during a semester abroad.
Claim of responsibility: The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for the attacks in an online statement. Hollande described the assaults as "an act of war."
Terrorist named: The Paris prosecutor said one of the attackers has been identified as 29-year-old Frenchman Ismael Mostefai. Mostefai was identified after part of his finger was found at the Bataclan concert hall, according to local media.
Syrian passport found: Police said a Syrian passport was found on the body of one suicide bomber, fueling fears that terrorists could enter Europe as migrants or refugees. CNN's Christiane Amanpour said the bomber, who blew himself up at the Stade de France, a huge sports stadium north of the city, was issued a Syrian emergency passport in Greece under the name Ahmad al-Mohammad — believed to be a false identity — after landing on the Greek island of Leros. She said the fingerprints on the passport matched the bomber's, citing an unnamed French senator who was briefed by the Interior Ministry. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria's civil war are flooding into Europe.
High security: Putting France's security at its highest level, Hollande vowed to hit back against the militants. U.S. cities and venues are also on high alert, though no specific threat has been made. 
Witness to terror: "You think . . . what was that. You get down. You find yourself between dead bodies. You are afraid, you don't know what's happening – it's like you are in a dream. You go out onto the street there is no one, but there is blood everywhere," said Pierre Marie Bertin, 36, one witness from the scene at the Bataclan concert hall.
Other locations: In addition to the Bataclan, gunmen attacked at least two restaurants and the Stade de France.

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