The city of Paris is reeling from a series of horrific attacks that reportedly left 129 dead and hundreds more injured. The bombings and shootings occurred at at least six locations across the city, including bars, restaurants, the national stadium and a concert hall.

Now, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to The New York Times. The group posted a message to its platforms on Saturday calling the attacks “the first of the storm.”

“Eight brothers, wrapped in explosive belts and armed with machine rifles, targeted sites that were accurately chosen in the heart of the capital of France including the Stade de France during the match between the Crusader German and French teams, where the fool of France, François Hollande, was present...Let France and those who walk in its path know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State.”

President François Hollande of France, who was in attendance at the soccer game where some of the bombs were detonated, said that he believes ISIS is responsible for the attacks.

The eight terrorists involved in the attacks are all reported to be dead —seven from suicide bombs and one shot dead by police. The worst-hit spot was the 1,500-seat Bataclan concert hall, where people were taken hostage and shot at during a show put on by the U.S. rock group Eagles of Death Metal.

According to the Guardian, at least one of the terrorists was a Frenchman and known to police as an extremist. Syrian and Egyptian passports were also reportedly found on the bodies of another attacker.

In the wake of the attacks, Paris has called a state of emergency, shutting down schools, museums and markets on Saturday.

Meanwhile, some Parisians are trying to find some way to help, lining up in droves to donate blood. Soccer fans who were being evacuated from the stadium where several bombs went off also sang the country’s national anthem as they left the arena in solidarity.

Update 12:50 p.m.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a security on duty at the Stade de France said that at least one of the attackers, wearing an explosive vest, had purchased a ticket to the game and tried to enter the 80,000-person venue. When security guards frisked the man, they discovered the vest. The bomber detonated it as he was backing away from security.

Update 1:05 p.m.

CBS will be reworking the details of the Democratic debate scheduled for Saturday night in light of the attacks in Paris. Steve Capus, executive editor of CBS News, told The New York Times that the format will be altered to focus on questions directly related to the attacks.

“It is the right time to ask all the related questions that come to mind,” he said. “We think we have a game plan to address a lot of the substantive and important topics.”

Update 1:19 p.m.

The number of people injured by the attacks has skyrocketed.

Update 1:21 p.m.

A horrifying video showing people running out of the Bataclan concert hall after a bomb was detonated has surfaced on the internet. In it, crowds pour out of a smoky building, while people who crawled out of second-story windows helplessly hang on to the outside of the building. A warning - the video contains some disturbing images.

Update 2:07 p.m.

According to the Guardian, three French nationals were arrested in Belgium in connection to the attacks in Paris. Paris public prosecutor Francois Molins said at a press conference confirmed that a Syrian and an Egyptian passport were found next to two of the terrorists’ remains. Greece’s citizen protection minister, Nikos Toskas, also said that the man who owned the Syrian passport had traveled into the European Union through the Greek island of Leros in early October.

[Image via AP]


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