Paris attacks: ISIS claims responsibility;128 killed

14 November 2015 01:25 pm

ISIS claimed responsibility for gunfire and blasts that targeted six sites Friday night in Paris, killing 128 people in one of Europe's deadliest massacres in recent years.

In an online statement distributed by supporters Saturday, the terror group said eight militants wearing explosive belts and armed with machine guns attacked precisely selected areas in the French capital.

In addition to the people killed, 180 others were injured, according to the Paris Police Prefecture. More than half of them are in critical condition.

President Francois Hollande blamed the attacks on ISIS, calling it "an act of war" by the militants. He said it was planned from the outside -- "with inside complicity."

"When the terrorists are capable of doing such acts, they must know that they will face a France very determined," he said.

In the chaotic aftermath of the attacks, there was no clarity on the number of casualties.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry put the death toll at 153 people Friday, but a day later, the Paris police lowered it to 128 people.

Gunmen hit Friday night when bars and restaurants were bustling with residents and tourists. When they stormed in, glass shattered under the rage of bullets. Excited weekend chatter turned into panicked screams.

One of the targets was near a soccer match as France played world champion Germany. Terrified fans huddled together and streamed onto the field after blasts went off. Others hugged.

At the Bataclan, a concert hall where most of the fatalities occurred, fans were listening to American rock band Eagles of Death Metal when the blasts started.

"People yelled, screamed," said Julien Pearce, a radio reporter who was there. "It lasted for 10 minutes. Ten horrific minutes where everybody was on the floor covering their head."

Eight terrorists are dead following the attacks on six locations in Paris and nearby areas, prosecutor's spokeswoman Agnès Thibault-Lecuivre said.

The prosecutor's office said it cannot confirm whether all terrorists have been killed because it has not determined the total number of attackers.

Of the eight, seven died in suicide bombings, officials said.

Most of the deaths were inside the Bataclan concert hall, where a witness said gunmen stormed in, firing rifles and shouting, "Allah akbar." At least 80 people died in the attack there.

Earlier Friday, the Interior Ministry had put the death toll at the concert hall at more than 100.

Later, the Paris prosecutor said the number of dead at the hall was "around 80." The death toll is expected to rise.

Witness describes concert 'bloodbath'

"We lay down on the floor not to get hurt. It was a huge panic," Pearce said. "The terrorists shot at us for 10 to 15 minutes. It was a bloodbath."

The gunmen seized hostages before French police stormed in and rescued dozens of people.

Four attackers were killed at the concert hall, including three who were wearing explosives belts, police spokesman Michel Cadot told France Info radio.

Michael Dorio, brother of Eagles of Death Metal drummer Julian Dorio, said he spoke to the musician after the attack.

Dorio said when his brother and his band mates heard the gunshots, they stopped playing, took off backstage and exited.(CNN)