Coverage: How the Paris attacks unfolded Friday night | Photos & Video: Paris attacks kill at least 120 people | Poland newlyweds in Paris during violence say they’re safe 

PARIS (AP) — The latest on shootings and explosions in Paris. (All times local):

UPDATED 1:00 p.m.: French President Francois Hollande said the Islamic State group orchestrated the attacks, and IS claimed responsibility.

The identities and nationalities of the attackers have not been released. At least 127 people were killed and about 200 wounded in the attacks.

The police officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to be publicly named.

UPDATED 12:40 p.m.: The president of the International Olympic Committee says the terrorist attacks in Paris are “an attack on humanity and all humanitarian and Olympic values.”

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Thomas Bach adds in a statement: “Today all people of goodwill will say: We are all French.”

UPDATED 12:30 p.m.: A community leader from Paris’ working-class suburbs says he fears a “tsunami of hatred” may await Muslims and residents of poor neighborhoods following the deadly terror attacks.

Nadir Kahia of the Banlieue Plus community association says its members are shocked and feel a sense of solidarity “but we know … some Muslims and poor neighborhoods” will be subjected to hate speech.

Kahia also called Saturday for unity of French people and efforts to calm tensions in a text message to The Associated Press.

It came as French President Francois Hollande said at least 127 people died in Friday night’s rampage of shootings at Paris cafes, suicide bombings near France’s national stadium and a slaughter inside a concert hall. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

UPDATED 12:25 p.m.: British police say the north terminal at Gatwick Airport is being evacuated as a precaution after authorities found a suspicious article.

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Police described the evacuation Saturday as a precaution, but the incident comes at a time of heightened concern in Britain in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris. Police have announced additional security at ports and big events in light of the attacks.

Gatwick is Britain’s second busiest airport.

UPDATED 12:05 p.m.The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for attacks in Paris that killed over 120 people.

The claim was made in a statement in Arabic and French released online Saturday and circulated by supporters of the group. It was not immediately possible to confirm the authenticity of the statement, but it bore the group’s logo and resembled previous statements issued by the group.

French President Francois Hollande had earlier blamed the attacks on the IS group, calling it “an act of war” and vowing to strike back.

UPDATED: 11:50 a.m.: The German government has ordered flags on official buildings lowered to half-mast Saturday as a sign of solidarity and sorrow over the attacks in Paris.

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Flowers, candles and messages of condolence have meanwhile been placed outside the French embassy in Berlin. A vigil was planned there early Saturday afternoon.

UPDATED: 11:45 a.m.: Nordic governments have condemned the Paris attacks while ordinary citizens laid flowers and lit outside the French embassies across the region.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom talked about “horrible news” while her Danish counterpart Kristian Jensen said “terrorists must be defeated. They cannot break democracies that stand together.”

Finland’s Prime MinisterJuha Sipila says “we must not give space for fear and intolerance.”

After laying flowers outside the French Embassy Saturday, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said “the perpetrators must be pursued and defeated. We will never give up.”

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says “it is important that we stand together against this unimaginable terrorism.”

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Denmark’s government ordered flags on official buildings lowered to half-mast Saturday as a sign of solidarity.

UPDATED: 11:35 a.m.: Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called a meeting of Spain’s National Security Council to “analyze the situation in the wake of the Paris attacks.”

Rajoy says: “We aren’t facing a war of religions, but a battle between civilization and barbarism. They may hurt us, but they can’t beat us.”

Speaking Saturday during a special television appearance, Rajoy says Spain was on high alert and its forces had in the past few weeks stopped several terror attacks.

He adds, “We are at France’s side not just in its pain but also in its fight against those who have caused it.”

UPDATED: 11:20 a.m.: German media reported Saturday that a 51-year-old man arrested last week after weapons were discovered in his car has been linked to the Paris attacks.

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A spokesman for Bavarian state police confirmed that firearms, explosives and hand grenades had been found when undercover police stopped the suspect near the German-Austrian border on Nov. 5.

“He has refused to say what he planned to do or where the weapons came from,” Ludwig Waldinger told The Associated Press. “We are providing no further information at this point.”

Public broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk reported that German authorities contacted French officials shortly after the arrest. Citing unnamed investigators, the broadcaster reported that documents found during the arrest indicated that the man was traveling to Paris.

Bayrischer Rundfunk reported that the arms, which it said included an automatic rifle and one kilogram of TNT, were professionally hidden inside the body of the car, a VW Golf.

UPDATED: 11:10 a.m.: French President Francois Hollande, speaking to the nation, said attacks Friday that killed 127 people were “an act of war.”

He said the attacks on a stadium, concert hall and Paris cafe diners were “committed by a terrorist army, the Islamic State group, a jihadist army, against France, against the values that we defend everywhere in the world, against what we are: A free country that means something to the whole planet.”

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He said France “will be merciless toward the barbarians of Islamic State group.” France “will act by all means anywhere, inside or outside the country.”

France is already bombing IS targets in Syria and Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition, and has troops fighting extremists in Africa.

UPDATED: 11 a.m.: French President Francois Hollande says that the Islamic State group orchestrated the worst attacks in France since World War II and vowed to strike back.

Hollande said after an emergency security meeting Saturday that the death toll has risen to 127 in a string of near-simultaneous attacks Friday night on a concert hall, stadium and Paris cafes.

He declared three days of national mourning and put the nation’s security at its highest level.

UPDATED: 10:50 a.m.: British Prime Minister David Cameron will be convening his government’s security committee to weigh its response to the terror attacks in France.

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Cameron has pledged to do “whatever we can to help” following the attacks.

The prime minister will chair a meeting of the security committee Saturday and consider whether to raise the national threat level from “severe,” the second-highest rung on a five-point scale. The current “severe’ level means intelligence officials believe an attack is highly likely.

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley, the national police lead for counter-terrorism, called for “vigilance” from the general public. He says the police are liaising with their counterparts in France.

UPDATED: 10:35 a.m.: A resident near Paris’ Bataclan concert hall spoke of their shock and disbelief over the gun attack Friday night that left around 80 revelers dead.

Entrepreneur Gabriel Delattre, 31, was arriving home on a bike when he bumped into a nightmarish scene: a man whose shirt was “black with blood” wandering by the side of another man with a large bullet hole in his cheek.

“He was staring at me,” Delattre said. “He was confused and mumbling and didn’t know what he was doing. He just kept saying, ‘We were attacked, we got down on the floor, and we managed to get out. But the others stayed trapped.'”

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UPDATED: 9:40 a.m.: Disneyland Paris is closed to the public in a highly unusual move because of a string of attacks targeting a stadium, concert hall and cafes in Paris that killed at least 120.

The theme park east of Paris, one of Europe’s leading tourist attractions, said in a statement that it decided not to open Saturday “in light of the recent tragic events in France and in support of our community and the victims of these horrendous attacks.”

Some 14 million people visited Disneyland Paris last year.

France has deployed 1,500 extra troops around Paris and is tightening its borders because of Friday’

UPDATED: 9:35 a.m.: German Chancellor Angela Merkel the attackers who killed more than 120 people in Paris overnight “hate freedom.”

Speaking to reporters in Berlin early Saturday, Merkel expressed grief for those who died, saying “they wanted to live the life of free people in a city that celebrates life.”

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She says the victims encountered “murderers who hate precisely this life of freedom.”

Merkel said her country stands ready to help France in whichever way it can because the attack “was aimed not just at Paris, it targeted and it hits all of us.”

UPDATED: 9:30 a.m.: French President Francois Hollande is meeting top government and security officials after suicide bombers targeted a stadium, concert hall and Friday night cafe crowds in attacks that killed at least 120.

The special meeting in the Elysee Palace on Saturday morning comes as police hunt for potential accomplices to eight attackers who were killed in Friday night’s violence. Hollande declared a state of emergency — the first such move in a decade — and ordered 1,500 additional troops deployed.

The attacks raise concerns about international events that France is hosting, such as a UNESCO forum in Paris on Monday with world leaders, and major climate talks in Paris in two weeks.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and army, gendarme and police chiefs were among those at the meeting.

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UPDATED: 9:30 a.m.: Czech authorities have increased security measures all across the country following the terrorist attacks in Paris.

Police say they have deployed forces at all international airports, shopping centers and the French embassy in the Czech capital.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka says he is “horrified by the number of the innocent victims. France deserves all our possible support and solidarity.”

President Milos Zeman has offered condolences to relatives of the victims. “We are all with France and its people,” Zeman said in a statement.

UPDATED: 9:30 a.m.: Germany’s foreign minister says his country stands by France after the attacks in Paris, which he described as an “inferno of terror.”

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was present during the football friendly between France and Germany on Friday night, when three suicide bombs targeted spots around the national stadium.: Steinmeier said Saturday on the sidelines of the Syria talks in Vienna that “the extent of the horror … exceeds everyone’s imagination.”

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UPDATED: 9 a.m.: Some 1,500 extra soldiers have been mobilized to guard French facilities and schools and universities are closed because of the country’s deadliest attacks in decades.

Many French schools are normally open on Saturdays, but the French government ordered them shuttered as part of emergency security measures.

Soldiers were deployed at key sites around Paris, including Parliament buildings and religious sites.

UPDATED: 8:50 a.m.: Germany has offered France the help of its special anti-terror unit in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas des Maiziere said in a statement Saturday that he is in touch with his French counterpart “and I have offered him the help of German special forces.”

Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said de Maiziere had offered “all support, including special forces such as the GSG9.”

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The GSG9 anti-terror unit was created after the attacks on the Munich Olympics in 1972 and saw its first major operation during the hijacking of a Lufthansa plane by a Palestinian group

UPDATED: 8 a.m.: The Vatican has condemned “in the most radical way” the terror attacks in Paris.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement early Saturday that the violence was “an attack on peace for all humanity.”

He said it requires “a decisive, supportive response on the part of all of us as we counter the spread of homicidal hatred in all of its forms.”

Lombardi said the Vatican was praying for the victims and the wounded, “and for all the French people.”

UPDATED: 7 a.m.: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has canceled trips to France and Italy after terror attacks in Paris that killed over 120 people.

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The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying Saturday that Iran “itself has been a victim of the scourge of terrorism” and the fight against terrorism must go on. It did not elaborate why he canceled the visit, but authorities said the trip would be rescheduled.

Rouhani was due in days to travel to France and Italy. France was one of the world powers involved in recent negotiations with the Islamic Republic over its contested nuclear program.: Hossein Jaber Ansari, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, also was quoted by IRNA as saying: “Those terrorist groups that committed the Paris crimes do not believe in ethical principles and they are not loyal to any type of divine religions — including Islam.”

UPDATED: 6:35 a.m.: Friends and relatives are using social media to search for loved ones feared to have been at the sites of the Paris attacks.

“We are looking for Marie, who was at the Bataclan, we have no news from her. If you see her, please contact me #Bataclan”, reads one tweet from @Photographys, posted with a photo.

“If you have news of Christophe aka @MokeComputer he was at Bataclan tonight and we need to hear from him,” tweets a user named @Lorelei_Jade.

Facebook also offered its “Safety Check” feature to allow users who listed to mark themselves as safe if they listed Paris as their location.

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Earlier in the evening, Parisians used the hashtag #portesouvertes, or “open doors,” to offer a place to stay for people who were evacuated from the sites of the attacks. In the U.S., some used the hashtag #strandedinUS to offer shelter for people who were unable to travel back to France.

UPDATED: 6:25 a.m.: Across the Persian Gulf, countries are condemning the mass terror attack in Paris that killed at least 120 people.

In the United Arab Emirates, the state-run WAM news agency said Saturday that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent a telegram to French President Francois Hollande offering his condolences and pledging support for France. WAM said Al Nahyan also supported doing “what it takes to face terrorism and eliminate it.”

In tiny Kuwait, emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah said in a statement that he offered his condolences, while stressing that “these criminal acts of terrorism … run counter to all teachings of holy faith and humanitarian values.”

In Saudi Arabia, the state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official denouncing Friday’s attack.

UPDATED: 4:35 a.m.: A U.S. official briefed by the Justice Department says intelligence officials were not aware of any threats before a series of attacks in Paris.

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The official says 70 U.S. citizens currently known to be in France have not yet been accounted for, although no Americans have been reported killed in Friday’s attacks.

The official says all members of Eagles of Death Metal, the California-based band that was to perform at the Paris venue where one attack occurred, are safe and have been accounted for.

The official was not authorized to discuss the briefing publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

-AP reporter Michael Balsamo in New York.

UPDATED: 4:18 a.m.: Those who survived an attack on a Paris concert venue physically unscathed have been bused to a special crisis center for psychological support.

Some walked in dazed, their shoulders draped with emergency blankets.

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Dozens of emergency workers and Red Cross workers in orange vests gathered in front of the building, the headquarters of Paris’ 11th arrondissement, or district. A few police officers in bullet-proof vests stood nearby.

After meeting with counselors, some survivors were put in taxis to head home.

They had been at the Bataclan concert hall for a show of American band Eagles of Death Metal.

UPDATED: 2:51 a.m.: The rock band U2 has postponed its Saturday night concert in Paris in the light of the deadly attacks across the city on Friday night.

HBO had planned to televise the band’s performance. Instead, U2 says in a statement that it is resolved to go ahead with the concert “at an appropriate time.”

For television viewers, HBO said it would replace the planned show with the film “Jersey Boys.”

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PARIS (AP) — The latest on shootings and explosions in Paris. (all times local):

2:51 a.m.: The rock band U2 has postponed its Saturday night concert in Paris in the light of the deadly attacks across the city on Friday night.

HBO had planned to televise the band’s performance. Instead, U2 says in a statement that it is resolved to go ahead with the concert “at an appropriate time.”

For television viewers, HBO said it would replace the planned show with the film “Jersey Boys.”

U2 members say they watched in shock and disbelief at the unfolding events, and were devastated by the loss of life at the concert held by Eagles of Death Metal.

U2 members say: “We hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe.”

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UPDATED 2:39 a.m.: French police say they believe all of the attackers involved shootings and bombings in Paris are dead.

Micheal Cadot, the head of Paris police said Saturday that while all of the attackers are believed to have died, authorities are searching for possible accomplices in the attacks that left over 120 people dead.

UPDATED 2:33 a.m.: Police in the U.S. capital have sent extra officers to the French Embassy and other France-related sites and high-profile locations after the attacks in Paris.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release Friday night that the moves were being made out of an abundance of caution and that there is no imminent threat to the District.

The department says Chief Cathy Lanier has been in contact with federal and regional law enforcement officials since the attacks began.

UPDATED 2:16 a.m.: The Paris police prefect said the attackers at the Bataclan rock venue blew themselves up with suicide belts as police closed in. He said the gunmen first sprayed cafes outside the venue with machine gunfire, then went inside the concert hall and killed more before the assaullt by security forces.

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The prefect, Michel Cadot, said the one set of attackers was at the stadium and at nearly the same time the second group attacked within the city.

Cadot said all the attackers are believed dead, although authorities are hunting for any possible accomplices.

UPDATED 2:10 a.m.: Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who was in Paris when the attacks took place, says he is suspending the broadcast of an event he was holding there.

“Out of solidarity with the French people and the City of Paris, we have decided to suspend our broadcast of 24 Hours of Reality and Live Earth. Our thoughts are with all who have been affected and the entire nation of France. We send our condolences to the families of those who have been killed or injured.”

UPDATED 1:59 a.m.: U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the U.S. stands “in solidarity with France, as it has stood with us so often in the past.

“This is a devastating attack on our shared values and we at the Department of Justice will do everything within our power to assist and work in partnership with our French law enforcement colleagues,” Lynch said in a statement.

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UPDATED 1:53 a.m.: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York is constantly on alert for coordinated terror attacks, especially in the wake of an attack in Paris that has killed dozens.

De Blasio said in an interview with WABC-TV on Friday the attack was not only sobering, but a reminder that police officials need to be prepared and vigilant for a possible follow-up attack.

Police have stressed there is “no indication that the attack has any nexus to New York City.”

Officers have been deployed to various locations in the city, including French government buildings.

French officials say several dozen people have been killed in shootings and explosions at a theater, restaurant and elsewhere in Paris.

UPDATED 1:48 a.m.: Massachusetts State Police say they’re increasing security around the area of the State House following the deadly attacks in Paris.

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In addition, State Police said Friday they are monitoring intelligence at Logan International Airport in Boston.

State Police troop commanders also are directing on-duty troopers to have a heightened awareness of potential suspicious activity within their patrol areas.

State Police acted as attackers killed at least 100 people in a popular Paris concert hall. It was one of at least six terror attacks across the city in the deadliest violence Paris has seen since World War II.

UPDATED 1:40 a.m.: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the One World Trade Center spire will be lit blue, white and red in honor of dozens killed in the Paris attacks.

Cuomo says the 408-foot (125-meter)spire will be illuminated Friday night and in the days to come. The governor says the act shows New York will stand with the people of France.

New York City officers have been deployed to various parts of the city, including French government buildings. Heavily-armed officers stood outside of the French Consulate in Manhattan as passers-by brought flowers.

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Police have stressed there is “no indication that the attack has any nexus to New York City.”

French officials say several dozen people have been killed in shootings and explosions at a theater, restaurant and elsewhere in Paris.

UPDATED 1:37 a.m.: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is describing the attacks in Paris as “heinous, evil” and “vile,” calling them “an assault on our common humanity.”

Kerry says the U.S. embassy in Paris is “making every effort to account for the welfare of American citizens in the city.”

The State Department says U.S. citizens can contact 1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S.) or 202-501-4444 (from other countries) for assistance.

Kerry says the U.S. stands ready “to provide whatever support the French government may require.”

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Kerry was speaking from Vienna, where he is scheduled to attend talks Saturday on the crisis in Syria.

Vice President Joe Biden calls the attacks “heartbreaking” and “outrageous” and says, “Such savagery can never threaten who we are.”

UPDATED 1:29 a.m.: Tens of thousands of people join the football players at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires in offering tribute to the dead and wounded in Paris before the start of a World Cup qualifying match between Argentina and Brazil.

With players standing on the field Friday night, the crowd in the stands fell silent for a minute in acknowledging the bloodshed in the French capital. Some applauded as the tribute ended.

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1:25 a.m.: Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins says the death toll in attacks at six sites around the French capital could exceed 120.

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Speaking near a popular music venue where scores of people were taken hostage, Molins said early Saturday that five attackers may have been killed.

UPDATED 1:15 a.m.: The Paris hospital service says medical personnel are reporting for work of their own accord to help treat the injured in the multiple attacks in the city, and that others were being called in as part of a plan to deal with emergencies.

Among those called in minutes after the first reports went out was Patrick Pelloux, an emergency room doctor and former writer for Charlie Hebdo. Pelloux was also among the first to see the aftermath of the Jan. 7 attacks.

At least 100 people died in a Paris concert hall where attackers seized hostages Friday, an official said. At least five other terror attacks unfolded across the city in the deadliest violence Paris has seen since World War II.

UPDATED 1 a.m.: The French president has formally declared the state of emergency on all mainland territory and Corsica during a Cabinet meeting urgently summoned at the Elysee palace on Friday night.

Under French law, the state of emergency can be decided in the event of “imminent danger following serious breaches of law and order.”

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The state of emergency allows state authorities to forbid the movement of persons and vehicles at specific times and places. They can also define protected areas and safety areas where the movement of persons is controlled.

The state of emergency also allows police to perform house searches day and night —instead of performing them only at daylight.

UPDATED 12:55 a.m.: Management for rock band Eagles of Death Metal, who were scheduled to perform Friday at a venue in Paris where hostages were taken and scores were killed say they are “trying to determine the safety and whereabouts” of the band and its crew.

The American band was supposed to perform at the Bataclan, a theater located in eastern Paris. The band, formed in 1998 in Palm Desert, California, was celebrating the October release of “Zipper Metal” with an European tour.

Police officials who were not authorized to be named said at least 100 people died at the Bataclan Friday, and that a police assault left at least two attackers dead.

UPDATED 12:45 a.m.: Twitter accounts linked to jihadists are celebrating the attacks in Paris.

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According to the SITE Intelligence Group tracking militant sites, Twitter posts attributed to jihadist supporters are speculating which group may be responsible. Many users expressed belief that the Islamic State group could be behind the carnage.

They used Arabic-language hashtags that translated to “Paris on fire” and “Caliphate state strikes France.”

SITE says that accounts also circulated pictures of the attacks, and one pro-IS channel accused France of sending warplanes to bomb Syria and says “today it drinks from the same cup.”

UPDATED 12:25 a.m.: A French police official says top government officials including President Francois Hollande were headed to the Bataclan concert hall where hostages were taken.

Another official said at least 100 people died inside the hall. A police assault on the venue finished early Saturday, leaving at least two attackers dead, officials said.

The officials were not authorized to be named because operations were ongoing.

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UPDATED 12:20 a.m.: A French police official says at least 100 people have been killed inside a Paris concert hall where attackers seized hostages. The hostage-taking was one in a series of at least six attacks across the French capital.

UPDATED 12:10 a.m.: A French government official says the country’s state of emergency has gone into effect and that President Francois Hollande is cancelling his trip to the G-20 meeting in Turkey.

Hollande was due to leave Saturday for the meeting in Turkey, which was to focus in large part on growing fears of terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists.

The official, who was not authorized to be named, said the government will hold a defense council meeting in the morning.

UPDATED 12 a.m.: Two Paris police officials say security forces have ended their assault on a concert hall filled with hostages, killing at least two attackers. Neither official could be named, citing ongoing operations throughout the city.

One official described “carnage” inside the building, saying the attackers had tossed explosives at the hostages. Both officials said they expected the toll of victims to rise.

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UPDATED 11:45 p.m.: World leaders have expressed shock at the violence in Paris.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is “deeply shaken by the news and pictures that are reaching us from Paris.” The German leader issued a statement saying her thoughts were with the victims “of the apparent terrorist attack.”

The Secretary-General of the NATO alliance says he is “deeply shocked by horrific Paris attacks.”

Jens Stoltenberg said in a Twitter message that “We stand together with the people of #France. Terrorism will never defeat democracy.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is condemning “the despicable terrorist attacks” in Paris and is demanding the immediate release of numerous hostages being held in the Bataclan theater.

UPDATED 11:35 p.m.: Three police officials confirm that security forces have launched an assault on the Paris concert hall where hostages have been taken.

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None of the officials could be named when discussing the ongoing operation, which several officials said involved dozens of hostages.

The Paris police prefecture told resident to remain home and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.

UPDATED 11:30 p.m.: Automatic gunfire and blasts have rung out from the area of a Paris music hall where police say people are being held hostage.

Scores of police are surrounding the Bataclan concert hall, and sirens are wailing throughout the neighborhood.

The gunfire began soon after French President Francois Hollande said security forces were launching an assault on one of several sites targeted in attacks Friday night around Paris.

UPDATED 11:20 p.m.: A police union official says there were two suicide attacks and a bombing near the national stadium where France and Germany were playing a friendly match.

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The official, Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area of the stadium, said there were at least three dead in the attacks near the stadium, near two of the entrances and a McDonalds restaurant.

He said the explosions went off simultaneously. He did not provide more details.

UPDATED 11.10 p.m.: Although no one has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, some terrorism experts say the Islamic State group is likely responsible.

Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert and senior adviser to the president of RAND Corp., said the extremist group is clearly the name at the top of everyone’s list.” He said this was because the tactic used — “multiple attackers in coordinated attacks at multiple locations” — echoed recommendations published in extremist group’s online magazine,

James Woolsey, a former director of the CIA in 1993-195 and now chancellor at the Institute of World Politics, also told the BBC he suspected the Islamic State because the coordinated nature of the attacks required government-style planning.

UPDATED 11:05 p.m.: President Barack Obama is calling the attacks on Paris “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians” and is vowing to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

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Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said he would not speculate about who was responsible.

He called the attacks a “heartbreaking situation” and an “attack on all of humanity.”

Obama was briefed on the attacks Friday by his counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco.

The attacks come as the president is preparing for two trips abroad. He’s slated to leave Saturday for a nine-day trip to Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia. He due to travel to Paris for climate change talks at the end of the month.

UPDATED 11:00 p.m.: French President Francois Hollande says he is closing the country’s borders and declaring a state of emergency after several dozen people were killed in a series of unprecedented terrorist attacks.

Hollande, in a televised address to his nation, said the nation would stand firm and united against the attackers.

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He said security forces are assaulting one of the sites hit by Friday’s attacks, without elaborating.

“It’s a horror,” he said.

UPDATED 10:50 p.m.: British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is “shocked” by the Paris attacks and violence.

Cameron said on Twitter “Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.”

French police say at least 35 were killed in multiple acts of violence took place in Paris Friday night, including shootings at restaurants and a hostage-taking at a music theater.

UPDATED 10:40 p.m.: A White House official says President Barack Obama has been briefed on the attacks in Paris.

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The official says counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco briefed the president. The official was not authorized to talk about the private discussion and demanded anonymity.

Obama is slated to travel to Paris at the end of the month to attend a United Nations conference on climate change.

UPDATED 10:35 p.m.: Hundreds of people spilled onto the field of the Stade de France stadium after explosions were heard nearby during a friendly match between the French and German national soccer teams.

A stadium announcer made an announcement over the loudspeaker after the match, telling fans to avoid certain exits “due to events outside,” without elaborating.

At first that prompted some panic, but then the crowds just walked dazed, hugging each other and looking at their phones for the latest news of the violence.

Many appeared hesitant to leave amid the uncertainty after France’s deadliest attacks in decades.

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UPDATED 10:22 p.m.: Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff says it is too early to know exactly what was happening in Paris.

Social media posts from purported ISIS supporters could indicate that “there was a group waiting for this, but it could be a group watching,” Chertoff said in an interview with MSNBC Friday night.

“I don’t think we can say this proves anything, but again it supports the idea that it’s terrorism,” Chertoff said.

John Cohen, a former Homeland Security Department counterterrorism coordinator, say the presence of multiple attack scenes at the same time suggested a coordinated effort to “send a message” and raises immediate terror concerns, including for other cities in Europe and potentially the United States as well. He said both Al Qaida and ISIS have relied on the strategy of coordinated attacks in the past.

UPDATED 10:14 p.m.: A Paris police official said there were at least 100 hostages in a Paris theater following shooting and explosions at two sites in the city.

Multiple officials, including one medical official, put the number of dead at between 35 to 40 people.

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All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

UPDATED 10:10 p.m.: U.S. Homeland Security Department officials monitoring the attacks in Paris say there is no known, credible threat against the United States.

DHS officials are in contact with their foreign counterparts amid reports of multiple shootings and explosions in Paris.

Police officials in France say at least 26 people have been killed and a hostage-taking situation is underway at a theater.

PARIS — Two police officials said at least 26 people have been killed in shootings and explosions around Paris on Friday, in the deadliest violence in France in decades.

A police official said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement, and about 15 killed in the Bataclan theater, where a hostage-taking is under way.

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Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.

Also late Friday, two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany friendly football match. It is unclear if the explosions were linked to the other events.

A police official confirmed one explosion in a bar near the stadium. It is unclear whether there are casualties.

An Associated Press reporter in the stadium Friday night heard two explosions loud enough to penetrate the sounds of cheering fans. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named.

The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks.

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Emilioi Macchio, from Ravenna, Italy, was at the Carillon bar near the restaurant that was targeted, having a beer on the sidewalk when the shooting started. He said he didn’t see any gunmen or victims, but hid behind a corner then ran away.

“It sounded like fireworks,” he said.

France has been on edge since deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in January on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery that left 20 dead, including the three attackers.

The restaurant targeted Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices.

The country has seen several smaller-scale attacks or attempts since, including an incident on a high-speed train in August in which American travelers thwarted a heavily armed Islamic radical trying to attack passengers.

AP writers Greg Keller and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this story.


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