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Watch Live Coverage: 158 Known Dead In Paris Terror Attacks

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Fri, 13 Nov 2015 21:33:26 Z)

Shootings and explosions in central Paris killed 158 people, including 118 in a theater Friday night, according to French media. Authorities report at least four separate attack locations.

Five attackers were "neutralized," according to the Paris prosecutor's office. It is not clear if that means they are dead. It was also unclear if any were stil at large.

Explosions and automatic gunfire were later heard near the theater -- the Bataclan concert hall -- where the hostages are being held. Officials later confirmed there was an ongoing police assault on the building. It was about 20 minutes later police sources said the hostage holders were killed and the operation was over. A later report said four attackers were killed, three of them were wearing explosive belts.

French TV outlet BFM quoted a police source saying there could be 100 dead inside the concert hall. An American heavy metal band was playing there at the time of the attack.

A man opened fire with an automatic rifle at a bar killing at least 11, police said. A heavy metal band was playing there at the time. Another shooting was later reported at the Les Halles shopping center, however no other details were available. Two explosions happened near the Stade de France, the sports stadium where the French and German soccer teams were engages in a match. Initial reports say it was a suicide bombing. "It's got terrorism written all over it," a Sky News reporter said.

French president Hollande declared a state of emergency and temporarily closed French borders after the attacks. Hollande also cancelled plans to attend the G-20 summit set to start Sunday. AFP reported the president was on his way to visit the theater where the biggest massare occured.

"This is an attack not just on Paris, not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity," President Obama said in a statement in the White House press room.

Watch Sky News live coverage:

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About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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