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Paris attacks: what we know

A set of shootings and explosions hit Paris late on Friday, killing at least 129 people and injuring more than 350 in one of the city’s densest districts on a Friday night. ISIS claimed responsibility, but the veracity of the group’s claim is unclear. French President François Hollande promised a “merciless” response, and world leaders vowed to stand by France. Here’s a running tally of what we do and don’t know about the attacks.

What we know about the attacks

  • At least 129 people were killed in total, most of whom died at the Bataclan concert hall, according to Paris Prosecutor François Molins. Another 352 were injured, 99 of them critically.
  • According to the Associated Press, explosions were reported near the Stade de France, a soccer stadium near Paris, as were shootings inside the city itself. Here’s a map of the attacks:
A map of the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris.
Javier Zarracina/Vox
  • According to the BBC’s Katya Adler, “French channels [reported] masked men started shooting in all directions around a group of restaurants with outdoor terraces central.”
  • After the shooting attack at the Paris Bataclan concert hall, attackers took more 100 people hostage there, according to police. Police later stormed the Bataclan and ended the hostage situation.
  • Seven attackers are dead, six of whom detonated explosive suicide vests, according to French officials.
  • In a statement, Hollande announced that a state of emergency was imposed for the whole country and that France would close its borders. His office later clarified that while the country will not be closed, border controls will be instated.
  • At the time of the reported explosions, the German and French soccer teams were playing a match. After the match, police asked fans to stay in the stadium, where they milled around the field:
France’s national soccer stadium in the aftermath of the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks.
VI Images via Getty Images
  • One of the attackers was reportedly blocked by security from entering the stadium, a security guard and police told the Wall Street Journal.
  • An amateur video posted by the Guardian shows the aftermath of the attacks at Stade de France and La Royale Cafe:

What we know about the attackers

  • ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing France’s “crusader campaign” in an apparent reference to the country’s role in air strikes against the group in Syria and Iraq. But the veracity of the claim remains unclear — although officials said the attackers communicated with known members of ISIS at some point.
  • One attacker was identified as 29-year-old French national Ismaël Omar Mostefaï, who had a criminal record and was listed as radicalized by authorities, according to French officials.
  • Two of the other attackers were born in France but lived in Belgium, according to Molins, the Paris prosecutor.
  • French police said they’re looking for a suspect potentially involved in the attacks: Abdeslam Salah, a French national from Belgium.
  • According to ABC News, Reuters, the Guardian, and other media outlets, a Syrian passport that passed through Greece — potentially belonging to a political refugee — was found near the body of one of the attackers. But it’s not clear if the passport belonged to the attacker.
  • The search for more accomplices continues, with authorities in Belgium reporting seven arrests so far.

What we don’t know

  • Who the attackers are. ISIS claimed responsibility, but as their statement merely repeats information available in media reports, it’s not yet clear that they are in fact responsible.
  • The final death toll.


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