Official: At least 100 hostages dead in Paris theater

Rescuers evacuate a man near the Bataclan hall
Rescuers workers evacuate a man on a stretcher near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris Friday. A French police official says at least 100 people have been killed inside a Paris concert hall where attackers seized hostages. The hostage-taking was one in a series of at least six attacks across the French capital.
Dominique Faget | AFP/Getty Images

Updated: 6:43 p.m. | Posted: 3:25 p.m.

A French police official says at least 100 people have been killed inside a Paris concert hall where attackers seized hostages. The hostage-taking was one in a series of at least six attacks across the French capital.

Several dozen people were killed Friday in a series of terror attacks, the deadliest to hit Paris since World War II, French President Francois Hollande said, announcing that he was closing the country's borders and declaring a state of emergency.

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At least 35 people died in at least six attacks. Many of those killed were in a popular concert hall where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said. The violence gripped the city in fear and recalled the horrors of the Charlie Hebdo carnage just 10 months ago.

France unrest
Rescuers evacuate people following an attack in the 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris Friday.
Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP/Getty Images

A police official said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement, and other police officials said at least twice that number died elsewhere, primarily in the Bataclan music venue, where the hostages were taken. It was unclear how many people were in the hall; one official said there were around 100, while another said there were far fewer.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named in the quickly moving investigation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the series of attacks.

State of emergency

Hollande, in a televised address, said the nation would stand firm and united against the attackers.

"This is a terrible ordeal that again assails us," he said. "We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are."

The French president formally declared the state of emergency on all mainland territory and Corsica during a Cabinet meeting urgently summoned at the Elysee palace on Friday night.

President Francois Holland addresses France
French president Francois Hollande addresses the nation Friday, declaring a state of emergency and closing France's borders.
Damien Meyer | AFP/Getty Images

Under French law, the state of emergency can be decided in the event of "imminent danger following serious breaches of law and order."

The state of emergency allows state authorities to forbid the movement of persons and vehicles at specific times and places. They can also define protected areas and safety areas where the movement of persons is controlled.

The state of emergency also allows police to perform house searches day and night — instead of performing them only at daylight.

U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking to reporters in Washington, called the attacks on Paris "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians" and vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

Bataclan music hall, Stade de France stadium attacks

Later Friday, automatic gunfire and blasts could be heard from the concert hall, and police officials confirmed that security forces had launched an assault there. Neither official could be named when discussing the ongoing operation, which several officials said involved dozens of hostages. Scores of police surrounded the building and sirens wailed throughout the neighborhood.

Paris unrest
Ambulance workers on the scene in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
Kenzo Tribouillard | AFP/Getty Images

Management for rock band Eagles of Death Metal, who were scheduled to perform Friday at the venue, say they are "trying to determine the safety and whereabouts" of the band and its crew.

The band, formed in 1998 in Palm Desert, California, was celebrating the October release of "Zipper Metal" with a European tour.

Police officials who were not authorized to be named said at least 100 people died at the Bataclan Friday, and that a police assault left at least two attackers dead.

Earlier Friday, two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany friendly football match. A police union official said there were two suicide attacks and a bombing that killed at least three people.

The official, Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area of the stadium, said explosions went off simultaneously near two entrances and a McDonalds.

France attacks - Stade de France
Spectators wait on the pitch of the Stade de France stadium in Seine-Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, Friday after explosions could be heard outside the friendly match between the German and French soccer teams.
Matthieu Alexandre | AFP/Getty Images

An Associated Press reporter in the stadium Friday night heard two explosions loud enough to penetrate the sounds of cheering fans. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead. Hollande, who was in the stadium, was evacuated to an emergency meeting.

The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks.

Emilio Macchio, from Ravenna, Italy, was at the Carillon bar near the restaurant that was targeted, having a beer on the sidewalk, when the shooting started. He said he didn't see any gunmen or victims, but hid behind a corner, then ran away.

"It sounded like fireworks," he said.

France on edge

France has been on edge since deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in January on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery that left 20 dead, including the three attackers. The Charlie Hebdo attackers claimed links to extremists in Yemen, while the kosher market attacker claimed ties to the Islamic State group.

Many Dead After Multiple Shootings In Paris
Police survey the area of Boulevard Baumarchais after attacks in Paris Friday.
Thierry Chesnot | Getty Images

One of at least two restaurants targeted Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices, as is the Bataclan, among the best-known venues in eastern Paris, near the trendy Oberkampf area known for a vibrant nightlife. The California-based band Eagles of Death Metal was scheduled to play there Friday night.

The country has seen several smaller-scale attacks or attempts since, including an incident on a high-speed train in August in which American travelers thwarted an attempted attack by a heavily armed man.

France's military is bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq and fighting extremists in Africa, and extremist groups have frequently threatened France in the past.

French authorities are particularly concerned about the threat from hundreds of French Islamic radicals who have travelled to Syria and returned home with skills to stage violence.