On Friday, November 13, an Islamic extremist group unleashed an act of terror in Paris, France. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks that left 130 dead and up to 400 wounded in the French capital. Bombs and gunfire alike, it is speculated that ISIS coordinated the brutal plan all through the use of technology and social media.
6 locations were targeted, including the following, in no particular order:
- Stade de France
- Le Petit Camboge (Restaurant) and Le Carillon (Bar)
- Rue Fontaine au Roi
- Belle Equipe (Bar)
- Boulevard Voltaire
- Le Bataclan (Concert Hall)
At Stade de France, a french sports stadium, 3 bombs echoed around the many fans awaiting the France v Germany soccer game. 2 of the three bombs were suicide missions that fortunately didn’t even make it into the arena. Security professionals noticed the bomb vests and that is when the suicide bombers initiated the explosions. Civilians inside the stadium all rushed onto the field for safety. Only 4 deaths were recorded, 3 being the attackers themselves.
The “bloodiest” of the attacks was located at Le Bataclan, a concert hall that at the time, an American rock band was playing a show. Witness and survivor reports claim that the attackers fired lines of ammunition into the crowd killing those running away, taking hostages, and even cornering victims in the balconies. Approximately 80 people were slaughtered before the French police force killed the attackers and rescued the remaining hostages.
In the wake of the attacks, the French Prime minister, Manuel Valls, reported that the attacks were “planned and organised from Syria.” He also went on to explain that the French government would be doing all they could to eradicate any remaining threat left in their country.
French president, François Hollande, was quoted saying his country would be “unforgiving with the barbarians,” and this is exactly what France has done. This past Sunday evening, French militia reportedly bombed a heavily ISIS populated area in Raqqa, Syria. According to Alissa J. Rubin and Anne Barnard from the New York Times, “France seemed intent on sending a clear message of its determination to curb the Islamic State and its ability to carry out attacks outside the territory it controls.”
