France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders following multiple gun and bomb attacks in Paris. At least 40 people were killed. At the Bataclan arts center, 15 people were killed and up to 60 people were held hostage in the concert hall. It was reported that explosions and gunfire could be heard around the venue following a storming of the building by the police. Three people were killed in a suspected suicide blast near the Stade de France. It appears that the deadliest attack targeted the Bataclan concert hall. Ambulances have arrived at the scene, suggesting that there are potential victims inside the arts center.
Liberation
The Associated Press
Our thoughts and prayers are with Paris tonight. UPDATE: According to The Guardian, the death toll currently stands at 127 people. 200 people are believed to be wounded, 99 seriously. The police have raided a Brussels neighborhood a made several arrests. It is believed that the attackers are from there. One of the attackers at the Bataclan is believed to be a 30-year-old French national who has links to Islamic radicals. On the bodies of two suicide bombers, a Syrian passport and an Egyptian passport were found. The man holding the Syrian passport belonged to a refugee who passed through Greece. German authorities have reason to believe that a man arrested in Bavaria earlier this month could be linked to the Paris attacks. ISIS has taken blame for the attacks, stating that they were a response to French airstrikes against its militants in Syria. They concluded their audio message by stating that France would remain a “key target.” French President François Hollande has stated that the attacks are an “act of war…prepared and planned elsewhere, with outside involvement which this investigation will seek to establish.” He added that France would be “ruthless in its response” and has declared three days of national mourning. [Story via] [Updates Via]