Travel Advisory: Paris, France 16 November, 2015 Incident Summary: The seven coordinated terrorist aacks which began at 21:20 local me in Paris on Friday night killed at least 129 people and leſt more than 350 wounded. The first aack was reported at the Stade de France football stadium in the north of the city where France were hosng Germany. Two men detonated su- icide vests outside the stadium before a second group of assailants opened fire on the Pet Cambodge restaurant and the Le Carillon bar, killing 15 people. The gunmen then travelled to the Casa Nostra piz- zeria, where they shot five people dead, and then south-east to the La Belle Equipe bar, where a further 19 people died. The deadliest of the aacks took place at the Bataclan concert hall, which was packed with people watching the US band Eagles of Death Metal. Three gunmen wearing suicide vests killed at least 89 people during the siege at the Bataclan, which lasted for more than two hours. Two of the militants detonated their explosive vests, while the third was shot by police officers. A third explosion was also reported near the Stade de France around 22:00 local me. Friday’s aacks came less than a year aſter gunmen killed 14 people over three days in the Ile-de-France region, including Paris. The vicms included 11 people at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo sarical mag- azine in central Paris, close to where the latest aacks took place. Both of these aacks were carried out by individuals linked to Islamic militant groups - Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in the case of January’s aacks and the Islamic State (IS) in relaon to Friday’s events. www.securityexchange24.com
Transcript
Travel Advisory: Paris, France16 November, 2015
Incident Summary:
The seven coordinated terrorist attacks which began at 21:20 local time in Paris on Friday night killed at least 129 people and left more than 350 wounded. The first attack was reported at the Stade de France football stadium in the north of the city where France were hosting Germany. Two men detonated su-icide vests outside the stadium before a second group of assailants opened fire on the Petit Cambodge restaurant and the Le Carillon bar, killing 15 people. The gunmen then travelled to the Casa Nostra piz-zeria, where they shot five people dead, and then south-east to the La Belle Equipe bar, where a further 19 people died. The deadliest of the attacks took place at the Bataclan concert hall, which was packed with people watching the US band Eagles of Death Metal. Three gunmen wearing suicide vests killed at least 89 people during the siege at the Bataclan, which lasted for more than two hours. Two of the militants detonated their explosive vests, while the third was shot by police officers. A third explosion was also reported near the Stade de France around 22:00 local time.
Friday’s attacks came less than a year after gunmen killed 14 people over three days in the Ile-de-France region, including Paris. The victims included 11 people at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical mag-azine in central Paris, close to where the latest attacks took place. Both of these attacks were carried out by individuals linked to Islamic militant groups - Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in the case of January’s attacks and the Islamic State (IS) in relation to Friday’s events.
www.securityexchange24.com
Reaction:
Shortly after the attacks France’s President Francois Hollande declared a national state of emergency and three days of mourning (14-16 November). Thousands of additional members of the security forces were deployed to the capital and there have been widespread counter-terrorism operations across the country and in neighbouring Belgium, where some of the attackers are believed to have fled to. Security has also been increased at the French border and airports, resulting in significant travel disruption.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria and Iraq promptly claimed responsibility for the attacks and the French PM, Manuel Valls, said the events were planned and organised in Syria. Over the weekend French jets carried out multiple airstrikes on the Syrian city of Raqqa, a key IS stronghold.
On Monday afternoon President Hollande addressed both houses of France’s parliament and said the country “is at war” with a “jihadist army”. He also vowed to increase military action against IS in Syria, which may lead to further terrorist attacks within France.
Travel Advice:
• French police are advising people to keep travel in central Paris to a minimum until further notice. Many restaurants, museums, public buildings, tourist landmarks (including the Eiffel Tower and Disneyland Paris) and outdoor markets have remained closed since the attacks. There is also a significantly increased security presence in the city. • Visitors to Paris are advised to avoid all large-scale public gatherings, including memorial services and counter-terrorism demonstrations.• Security operations are underway and on Monday morning counter-terror officers carried out more than 150 raids across several cities across France, including: Lyon, Marseille, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Lille, Toulouse and Jeumont. Monitor local media closely and avoid areas with a large security presence due to the potential for protests or clashes between police and suspects. • Increased border checks have been implemented at all entry points into France. Expect delays at air and sea ports, as well as road border crossings where long queues have been reported. French authorities have also called on a suspension of the Schengen Agreement on open borders, which could have implications for land travel throughout western continental Europe.• Report any suspicious activity to the authorities and do not leave items of luggage unattended.• An emergency hotline has been setup in France: 0800 40 60 05.
