Paris (AFP) - Simultaneous attacks on multiple targets by gunmen and suicide bombers working in unison: a nightmare scenario that France's anti-terror agencies had dreaded for months came true in Paris on Friday night.

Security officials and experts have predicted that an unprecedented attack was in the offing, and would be nigh impossible to thwart.

"Determined guys who are prepared to die, who have studied their target and have a solid operational background, they can do a lot of damage," Yves Trotignon, who used to work for DGSE intelligence agency's anti-terrorist service, recently told AFP.

"More jihadist fighters are graduating as veterans every day. Faced with that, it has to be said, the (security) services are overwhelmed," he said.

Eight assailants -- a mix of gunmen and suicide bombers -- killed more than 120 people and wounded over 200 in attacks at six popular Parisian recreational spots late Friday.

Targets included the Bataclan concert hall and eateries around the Stade de France sports stadium where a France-Germany football match was underway.

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Police forces and forensic experts gather near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris, on Novemb …

Also hit was a restaurant in a vibey Parisian neighbourhood near Republique square, not far from the erstwhile offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine where 12 people were gunned down in January.

The events of Friday were exactly the kind of multi-pronged attack authorities had been dreading.

So far this year they have been fortunate: more than one potential bloodbath was prevented by the offender's own ineptitude.

In April, Algerian IT student Sid Ahmed Ghlam was arrested after he shot himself in the leg by accident, leading police to uncover a plot to attack a church in Paris' Villejuif suburb.

- Battle-hardened and trained -

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Signs read "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) in Paris after an attack by armed gunmen on th …

And in August, two off-duty US servicemen and a friend overpowered a gunman who opened fire on passengers on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris.

But the authorities' luck was bound to run out as radicalised Muslims return from warzones battle-hardened and well-trained, said the experts.

And they are coming home in such great numbers that it is impossible to keep tabs on them all.

"The risk is greatest from groups of young men who return hardened from conflicts, maybe in Syria, maybe Libya or Yemen, then obtain weapons here (in France) and go over into action," Trotignon said.

Since the January slaying of 17 people in joint attacks on Charlie Hebdo, known for its satirical caricatures of Islam, and a Jewish supermarket elsewhere in Paris, anti-terror, intelligence, police and rescue services have been rehearsing for another such multi-pronged assault.

Like anti-terror services the world over, French experts closely studied the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, in which 10 attackers struck five different spots in concert, killing about 170 people.

But plan as they like, the experts agree there will always be an element of surprise.

And things have become complicated by wall-to-wall media coverage -- with attackers nowadays positioning themselves "for maximum publicity", a senior anti-terror official recently told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"Right now, we fear kalashnikov attacks" -- exactly like the one on the Bataclan theatre which ended when police stormed the building, but only after at least 82 people were killed.

Paris (AFP) - "This time it's war," declared the Le Parisien daily, as France's media reacted with horror but determination after Friday's wave of attacks that left at least 120 dead.

Centre-right daily Le Figaro took up a similar theme, splashing with the headline "War in central Paris" amid scenes of carnage at several locations in the French capital.

Many papers called for unity in the country that is still reeling from jihadist attacks in January that claimed 17 lives.

"In the name of the true martyrs of yesterday, the innocent victims and in the name of the Republic, France will be able to stay united and stand together," said Le Parisien.

The "terrorist barbarism" has crossed a "historic line," said the head of the left-leaning Liberation daily, calling for France to stay resolute.

"It is impossible not to link these bloody events with the battles raging in the Middle East. France is playing its part there. It must continue to do so without blinking," wrote Laurent Joffrin in an editorial.

Sports daily L'Equipe splashed the one word "L'Horreur" ("Horror") across a black front page.

Papers immediately made the link between the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine that claimed 17 lives in January, spawning an outpouring of solidarity around the Twitter hashtag #jesuischarlie (I am Charlie).

"We were Charlie. We are Paris!" wrote the Republique des Pyrenees regional daily.

Here is the latest summary of the aftermath from last night's six distinct attacks across Paris, compiled from numerous media outlets:

• At least 127 people are feared to have been killed according to French president Hollande in a series of devastating attacks across Paris.
• Among the dead are at least two Belgians, two Romanians and a Swedish citizen, with UK prime minister David Cameron warning British casualties are likely.
• Eight attackers also died, police say, seven of them by detonating explosive suicide belts.
• Police continue to search for accomplices who might still be at large.
• Two hundred people were injured, 80 of them seriously.
• Shootings and explosions were reported in six locations across the city, including the Stade de France in northern Paris, where two suicide attacks and a bombing took place as the national team played Germany in a friendly football match.
• The majority of victims died after a mass shooting inside the Bataclan concert venue.
• Shootings also took place in restaurants and other sites in the centre of the city.
• President François Hollande, who was at the Stade de France at the time of the assaults, said: "We are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow."
• A state of emergency has been declared across France and security at the country’s borders has been tightened.
• Paris residents have been told to stay in their homes and authorities say “all of the city’s amenities”, including schools, universities, museums, libraries, gyms, swimming pools and markets, will close on Saturday.
• US president Barack Obama described the atrocities as “an attack on all of humanity”. Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the attack “appears to have all the hallmarks of a Daesh [Islamic State] exercise”.
• Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has cancelled his official visit to France, due to take place next week, in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
• UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned "the despicable terrorist attacks carried out in various locations in and around Paris" and demanded "the immediate release of the numerous individuals reportedly being held hostage in the Bataclan theater";
• The Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, has urged his citizens to avoid going to Paris unless “strictly necessary”. He added that security will be stepped up at public events in Belgium.
• Paris Deputy Mayor said it is a "terrible, terrible situation ... a tragedy we are facing."
• Syrian president al-Assad also condemned the attack: "What France suffered from savage terror is what the Syrian people have been enduring for over five years."

Where the attacks took place:

The attacks were launched in six separate locations across the city – five in the 10th and 11th arrondissements, and one close to the Stade de France, in the north of the city, where president François Hollande was attending a football match between the French and German teams. The map below highlights the most prominent ones:

* * *

How the attacks unfolded:

• Stade de France - Bombings

Blasts were heard near the stadium in the north of Paris around 9.30pm local time on Friday. Police later confirmed there were three simultaneous bombings, including two suicide attacks, near the stadium as France played Germany in a friendly match.

French President Francois Hollande, who was at the game, left immediately. A prosecutor said people there had been fatalities, but did not confirm the number. A police union official said three people had died.

The blasts occurred near two of the stadium entrances and at a nearby McDonald's restaurant.

• Restaurant And Bar - Shooting

Around 10:30pm, there were reports of a shooting at a restaurant on Rue Alibert in the 10th arrondissement, about five miles away from the Stade de France.

At least 14 people were later confirmed dead in the rampage at Le Carillon, a bar-cafe, and the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge.

Witnesses said gunmen armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles fired at victims through the plate-glass windows.

• Bataclan Concert Hall - Bombings And Shooting

By 11pm reports emerged that the popular music venue on Boulevard Voltaire in the nearby 11th arrondissement was under attack.

Early reports suggested 15 people had been shot dead in the concert hall, where American band Eagles of Death Metal was due to play. Dozens of hostages were taken inside the venue.

A short time later, security forces launched an assault on the theatre. The two attackers were killed after detonating explosive belts. It now appears more than 80 concert-goers were killed in the venue. Initial reports suggested 120 people were killed.

According to Guardian, the attackers first sprayed cafes outside the concert hall with machine gunfire, then went inside and opened fire on the panicked audience, according to the Paris police chief. As police closed in, three of them detonated suicide vests, killing themselves and setting off explosions.

Several people inside the venue survived the massacre. The band was also confirmed as safe.

One person was also killed on Boulevard Voltaire, not far from the venue

• Cafe - Shooting

Less than a mile from the concert hall, at least 18 diners sitting on outdoor terraces at La Belle Equipe in the popular Charonne area were shot dead. Emergency workers covered bodies on the pavement outside the traditional Parisian cafe.

Le Carillon, a bar-cafe, and the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge were apparently both targeted with gunfire, killing around 14 people and leaving several gravely injured, according to the prosecutor. They are at the junction of Rue Bichat and Rue Alibert.

Witnesses described sounds like fireworks, before they realised the gravity of the situation and tried to find a place to hide, or flee.

• Pizzeria - Shooting

Five people were killed in La Casa Nostra pizzeria on Rue de la Fontaine au Roi in the 11th arrondissement.

Witnesses reported seeing a man firing a machine gun.

* * *

The latest death toll

Latest information says that at least 120 people are believed to have been killed in six separate attacks across the city. Two hundred people are injured, 80 seriously.

• At the Bataclan concert venue, 87 people have been reported dead.
• At the Stade de France, the Paris prosecutor François Molins said “some” were killed, possibly three. (It is not clear whether this include the attackers thought to have died here.)
• At the shootings at the Rue de Charonne, 18 are dead.
• At Boulevard Voltaire, one person is dead.
• At Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, five are dead.
• At Rue Alibert, 14 are dead and “many seriously injured”.

Police say they continue to hunt for any possible accomplices to the attacks. No one has yet claimed responsibility.

* * *

Attackers Killed

Eight extremists involved in the attacks have been killed, the prosecutor said. Seven died in suicide bombings, while the other was killed in the concert hall. Some witnesses in the hall said they heard the gunmen shout Islamic chants and slogans condemning France's role in Syria.

* * *

Attackers still not identified

We sill do not know the identities or nationalities of the attackers involved in the Friday night attacks, though authorities say eight died, seven of them detonating suicide bombs and the final perpetrator shot by police.

Prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre has told AP police have not ruled out the possibility that accomplices may still be at large and that is the focus of the investigation now.

Britain is hold its own emergency meeting of the COBRA intelligence committee, called by prime minster David Cameron.

* * *

Hollande Blames Attack on Islamic State

The French president has made an impassioned statement after the emergency security meeting this morning, where he blamed the attack on Islamic State.

Hollande said 127 people were killed in the attacks, which he described as an “act of war”. He said the attacks were co-ordinated, planned and organised from abroad with assistance from inside France.

“I pay homage to the country’s defenders who fought the terrorists yesterday,” he said. “Everyone has given their utmost and will be putting in their best efforts in the day to come.”

He called the attack “cowardly’ and said every measure would be taken to fight “the terrorist menace.”

"In this most serious and uncertain time, I call for unity and courage,” he said, adding that he would address the French parliament on Monday.

“Even if France is wounded, she will rise,” he said. The country will observe three days of mourning.

Hollande's full remarks from his address to the nation earlier from the Élysée Palace.

Below are some of the most dramatic scene from yesterday's tragedy captured by Bloomberg:

Forensic police search for evidences inside the Comptoir Voltaire cafe at the site of an attack in Paris on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Forensic police search for evidences inside the La Belle Equipe cafe on rue de Charonne at the site of an attack in Paris on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Forensic police search for evidences inside the La Belle Equipe cafe on rue de Charonne at the site of an attack in Paris on Saturday, Nov. 14.

French President Francois Hollande, center, flanked by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, left, and French Prime Minister manuel Valls addresses reporters near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris in the early morning of Saturday, Nov. 14.

Police forces, firefighters and rescue workers secure the area near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris in the early morning of Saturday, Nov. 14.

Investigating police officers work outside the Stade de France stadium, in Saint Denis, outside Paris, Friday Nov. 13.

French security moves people in the area of Rue Bichat of the 10th arrondissement in Paris on Friday, Nov. 13.

Victims lay on the pavement outside a restaurant in Paris on Friday, Nov. 13.

Spectators gather on the pitch of the Stade de France stadium following the friendly football match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Friday, Nov. 13


(ZeroHedge)