November 2015 Paris attacks

November 2015 Paris attacks
Locations of the attacks
Location	Paris, France Saint-Denis, France 1: near Stade de France[C 1] 2: Rues Bichat and Alibert (Le Petit Cambodge; Le Carillon)[C 2] 3: Rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi (Café Bonne Bière; La Casa Nostra)[C 3] 4: The Bataclan theatre[C 4] 5: Rue de Charonne (La Belle Équipe)[C 5] 6: Boulevard Voltaire (Comptoir Voltaire)[C 6] Stars denote individual suicide bombings (excl. Bataclan)
Date	13 November 2015 – 14 November 2015 21:20 – 00:58 (CET)
Attack type	Mass shooting, hit-and-run tactics, bombing, hostage-taking,suicide attack
Weapons	AK-47 assault rifles[1] Hand grenades Suicide vests
Deaths	137: 130 victims[2] (4 of whom died in hospital after the event) 7 perpetrators[3]
Non-fatal injuries	368[4] (80–99 critically)[5][6]
Perpetrators	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) Abdelhamid Abaaoud Salah Abdeslam Bilal Hadfi Ahmed Almuhamed Samy Amimour Omar Ismaël Mostefai Ibrahim Abdeslam Abbdulakbak B. at least two other ISILaffiliates at least 12 suspected accomplices[7][8][9]

On the evening of 13 November 2015, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks, consisting of mass shootings, suicide bombings, andhostage-taking, occurred in Paris, the capital of France, and its northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:20 CET, there were three suicide bombings outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, along with another suicide bombing and a series of mass shootings at four locations in Paris.^[10] The attackers killed 130 people,^[2] including 89 at the Bataclan theatre,^[11] where they took hostages before engaging in a three-hour stand-off with police. 368 people were injured,^[4] 80–99 seriously.^[6][5] Seven of the attackers also died, while authorities continued the search for any accomplices.^[3] The attacks were the deadliest on France sinceWorld War II,^[12][13] and the deadliest in the European Union since the Madrid train bombings in 2004.^[14]

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks,^[15][16][17] and French President François Hollande said the attack was "an act of war" by ISIL,^[18][19][20] "planned in Syria, organised in Belgium, perpetrated on our soil with French complicity".^[21] France had been bombing various targets in the Middle East, including Syria, since October 2015.^[22] ISIL's stated motive was retaliation for French involvement in the Syrian Civil War and the Iraqi Civil War.^[23][24] France had been on high alert since the January 2015 attacks in Paris that killed 17 people, including civilians and police officers.^[8]

In response, a state of emergency was declared, the first since the 2005 riots,^[25] and temporary controls were placed on the country's borders.^[26] People and organisations expressed solidarity, some through social media. On 15 November, France launched its largest single airstrike of Opération Chammal, its contribution to the anti-ISIL bombing campaign, by striking targets inAl-Raqqah, in retaliation for the attacks.^[27] On 18 November, the suspected lead operative of the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a raid by French police.^[28]

Background

France had been on high alert for terrorism since the Charlie Hebdo shooting and a series of related attacks in January 2015,^[8] and had increased security in anticipation of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, scheduled to be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December, as well as restoring border checks a week before the attacks.^[8]

The Charlie Hebdo shooting occurred in the 11th arrondissement (district) of the city, where the Bataclan theatre is situated.^[29]France experienced lesser attacks throughout 2015: the February stabbing of three soldiers in Nice guarding a Jewish community centre;^[30] the June attempt to blow up a factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, resulting in the death of an employee;^[31] and the Augustshooting and stabbing attack on a train.^[32]

The Bataclan theatre had been threatened several times because of its public support for Israel.^[33] Two Jewish brothers, Pascal and Joël Laloux,^[34][35] owned the Bataclan theatre for more than four decades before selling it in September 2015.^[36] In 2011 a member of Army of Islam told French security services that they had planned an attack on the Bataclan theatre because its owners were Jews.^{[33][37][38][39]}

In the weeks leading up to the attacks, ISIL and their branches had claimed responsibility for several attacks, such as two suicide bombings in Beirut two days earlier,^[40][41] and the crashing of Metrojet Flight 9268 on 31 October.^[42][43]

Intelligence agencies of Turkey, Iraq, and Israel had warned of an imminent attack on French soil months before and even the day before the attacks but got no response from French authorities.^{[44][45][46][47][48]}

Attacks

Timeline of attacks

13 November:

• 21:17 – First suicide bombing near the Stade de France.^[10]
• 21:25 – Shooting at the rue Bichat.^[10]
• 21:19 – Second suicide bombing near theStade de France.^[10]
• 21:32 – Shooting at the rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi.^[10]
• 21:36 – Shooting at the rue de Charonne.^[10]
• 21:40 – Suicide bombing on boulevard Voltaire.^[10]
• 21:40 – Three men enter the Bataclan theatre and begin shooting.^[10]
• 21:53 – Third suicide bombing near the Stade de France.^[10]
• 22:00 – Hostages are taken at the Bataclan.^[49]

14 November:

• 00:20 – Security forces enter the Bataclan.^[10]
• 00:58 – French police end the siege on the Bataclan.^[49]

All times are CET (UTC+1).

Three teams^[21][50] launched six distinct attacks:^[51] three suicide bombings in one attack, a fourth suicide bombing in another attack, and shootings at four locations in four separate attacks.^[52][53] Shootings were reported in the vicinity of the rue Alibert, the rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi, the rue de Charonne, the Bataclan theatre, and avenue de la République.^[29][54][55] Three explosions occurred near the Stade de France, another on boulevard Voltaire, and two of the Bataclan shooters also detonated their suicide vests as police ended the stand-off.^[56] According to the Paris prosecutor, the attackers wore suicide vests that usedacetone peroxide as an explosive.^[57]

Stade de France explosions

President François Hollande was at the Stade de France during the attacks.

Three explosions occurred near the country's national sports stadium, the Stade de France, in the suburb of Saint-Denis, resulting in four deaths, including the three suicide bombers.^[58] The explosions happened at 21:17, 21:19, and 21:53.^[59] The first explosion near the stadium was about 20 minutes after the start of an international friendly football match between France and Germany, which President François Hollande was attending.^[60][61] The first bomber was prevented from entering the stadium after a security guard patted him down and discovered the suicide vest;^[62] a few seconds after being turned away, he detonated his suicide vest, killing himself and a bystander.^[63]Investigators later surmised that the first suicide bomber had planned to detonate his vest within the stadium, triggering the crowd's panicked exit onto the streets where two other bombers were lying in wait.^[64] Ten minutes after the first bombing, the second bomber blew himself up near the stadium. Another 33 minutes after that, the third bomber detonated his vest nearby at a McDonald's.^[62][65][66]

Hollande was evacuated from the scene at half-time, while the German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, remained at the stadium.^[26][67] Hollande met with his interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve to co-ordinate a response to the emergency.^[68]Two of the explosions were heard on the live televised broadcast of the match; both football coaches were informed by French officials of a developing crisis, but players and fans were kept unaware of it until the game had finished.^[69] Hollande, concerned that the safety of the crowd outside the stadium could not be assured if the match were immediately cancelled, personally decided that the game should continue without a public announcement.^[64] Following the game, fans were brought onto the pitch to await evacuation as police monitored all the exits around the venue. Security sources said all three explosions were suicide bombings.^[8]

The German national football team was advised not to return to their hotel, where there had been a bomb threat earlier in the day, and they spent the night in the stadium on mattresses, along with the French team, who stayed with them in a display of camaraderie.^[70]

Street shootings and bombing

Rues Bichat and Alibert

At approximately 21:20, the first shootings occurred, on the rue Bichat and the rue Alibert, near the Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement. Attackers shot at people outside Le Carillon, a café and bar,^[71] before crossing the rue Bichat and shooting people inside the restaurant Le Petit Cambodge. According to French police, eleven people were killed at the restaurant,^[26] and an eyewitness said one of the gunmen shouted "Allahu Akbar". Le Monde reported 15 people were killed at these locations and 10 were critically wounded.^[72] The assailants fled in one or two vehicles after the shootings.^[73] One vehicle had a Belgian number plate.^[74] Doctors and nurses from the nearby Hôpital Saint-Louis were in Le Carillon when the attacks happened and supplied emergency assistance to the wounded.^[74]

Rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi

At 21:32, a man with a machine gun fired shots outside Café Bonne Bière,^[59] close to the terrace of the Italian restaurant La Casa Nostra, on the rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi where it intersects with the rue du Faubourg-du-Temple south of the rue Bichat. The Paris prosecutor said five people were killed and eight were injured.^[26] An eyewitness reported a gunman firing short bursts.^[75]

Rue de Charonne

At approximately 21:36, two gunmen fired shots for several minutes at the outdoor terrace of the restaurant La Belle Équipe on the rue de Charonne in the 11th arrondissement where it intersects the rue Faidherbe, before returning to their car and driving away.^[60][76] Nineteen people were killed, including the wife of the bar, and nine were left in critical condition.^[76]

Boulevard Voltaire bombing

At about 21:40, on the boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement, near place de la Nation,^[8] a man sat down in the Comptoir Voltaire café and placed an order before detonating his suicide vest and killing himself. Fifteen people were injured, one of them seriously.^[76][77]

Bataclan theatre massacre

The Bataclan theatre in 2009

At approximately 21:45, a mass shooting and hostage-taking occurred at the Bataclan theatre on the boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement. The American band Eagles of Death Metal was playing to an audience of around 1,500 people.^[26][67] About an hour into the concert,^[78] three dark-clad men with AK-47 assault rifles entered the hall.^[8] Witnesses heard shouts of "Allahu Akbar" just before the gunmen opened fire on the crowd.^[8][79] Initially, the audience mistook the gunfire for pyrotechnics.^[80][81] The attack lasted 20 minutes, and witnesses also reported seeing the attackers throw hand grenades into the crowd.^[79] A radio reporter attending the concert described the attackers as calm and determined, telling CNN they had reloaded three or four times.^[79]

Around 22:00, the attackers took 60–100 concertgoers hostage as police gathered outside the venue.^[26][29][79] The band's members escaped without injury.^[82] A witness who escaped the attack told a journalist that the gunmen had mentioned Syria.^[80][83] One witness in the Bataclan said that a gunman yelled, "This is because of all the harm done by Hollande to Muslims all over the world."^[84][85] There were further attacks on police and first responders who arrived at the scene.^[86]

Starting at 22:15, the Brigade of Research and Intervention (BRI) arrived on the scene, followed by RAID.^[87] The assault on the theatre only lasted three minutes and began at 00:20.^[87][88]

Police forces launched the assault after reports that the attackers had begun killing hostages.^[8][79][89] Initial police reports estimated that 100 people were killed at the theatre,^[68][80] but the toll was later revised to 89.^[11] Two attackers died by detonating their suicide vests.^[8][79][80] Another was hit by police gunfire and his vest blew up when he fell.^[8] The area was cordoned off after the attacks.^[90] Identification and removal of bodies from the theatre took 10 hours, a process made difficult because some audience members had left their identification papers in the theatre's cloakroom.^[91]

Perpetrators

On 14 November, President François Hollande said ISIL organised the attacks with help from inside France.^[20] Syrian and Egyptian passports were found near the bodies of two of the perpetrators at two attack sites,^[92] but Egyptian authorities said the passport belonged to a victim, Aleed Abdel-Razzak, and not one of the perpetrators.^[93] By 16 November, the focus of the French and Belgian investigation turned to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the radical jihadist they believed was the leader of the plot.^[94] Abaaoud, a Belgian ofMoroccan origin, had escaped to Syria^[95][96] after having been suspected in other plots in Belgium and France, including the thwarted 2015 Thalys train attack.^[97] Abaaoud had recruited an extensive network of accomplices, including Ibrahim Abdeslam and Salah Abdeslam, to execute terrorist attacks.^[98]

On 18 November 2015, French authorities conducted a raid on an apartment in Saint-Denis which ended with the injury of five police officers, at least five arrests, (although some reports later indicated eight) and two deaths – suicide bomber Hasna Aitboulahcen and a man tentatively identified as Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind behind the Paris attacks.^[99]

European intelligence officials subsequently confirmed^[100] that it was Abaaoud who was killed in the raid.^[101][102] Paris prosecutor François Molins said that fingerprint evidence was used to identify Abaaoud's body.^[100]

Although security forces had feared that terrorists would enter Europe among refugees, from Syria for instance, all of the known Paris attackers were EU citizens, who crossed borders without difficulty albeit registered as terrorism suspects.^[103] At least some, including the alleged leader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, had visited Syria and returned radicalised.Jean-Charles Brisard, a French expert on terrorism, called this a change of paradigm, in that returning European citizens were themselves the attackers. The Los Angeles Timesreported that more than 3,000 Europeans have travelled to Syria and joined ISIL and other radical groups.^[104]

Identification

Three teams executed the attacks, according to the Paris prosecutor.^[21][50] They wore explosive vests with identical detonators.^[105] One of the suicide bombers had previously been arrested eight times, but had not been linked to terrorism.^[105] Seven of the perpetrators died at the scenes of the attacks.^[3][106]

Three suicide bombers detonated their vests near the Stade de France.

• Bilal Hadfi, a 20-year-old French national who had been living in Belgium.^[107] Hadfi previously fought in Syria with ISIL for over a year and was a supporter of Boko Haram.^[108]
• Abbdulakbak B.^[109]
• A third man carried a Syrian passport which identified him as a 25-year-old Syrian, named Ahmad Almuhammad.^[107][108] (or Ahmad Al Mohammad^[106]) A Greek government minister, Nikos Toskas, said a Syrian passport-holder had passed through Leros in October, having been registered and fingerprinted after his arrival by boat from Turkey.^[110] Authorities believe the passport is a forgery,^[107] but fingerprint similarities were found between those taken from the scene in Paris and those taken during the control on Leros.^{[107][111][112][113][114]} French officials declared that "Ahmad Al Mohammad" is probably a dead Syrian soldier who was killed in Syria and whose passport was stolen.^[115][116]

Brahim Abdeslam was a French 31-year-old member of the Molenbeek terror cell living in Belgium. He carried out street shootings in the 10th and 11th arrondissements and shortly after detonated his vest at the Comptoir Voltaire restaurant on the boulevard Voltaire near the Bataclan theatre.^{[117][8][107][108]} He was born in France, on 30 July 1984.^[118]

Three attacked the Bataclan theatre wearing black clothing and using AK-47 assault rifles.^[8] Two killed themselves with their suicide vests during the police raid on the theatre. The third was killed by police gunfire just before his vest detonated.^[8] According to French police, the suspects were:

• Samy Amimour, a 28-year-old from Paris who fought in Yemen.^[107][119] He had reportedly been on the run from police for two years prior to the attack, due to terrorism related charges.^[120]
• Omar Ismaïl Mostefaï, a 29-year-old from the Paris suburb of Courcouronnes,^[107] identified as a bomber by a severed finger found inside the theatre.^[108][121] Mostefaï was born to an Algerian father and a Portuguese mother and converted to Islam.^{[122][123][124][125]}
• A third unknown suspect.

Search for further attackers

This section documents a search. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may beunreliable. The last updates to this section may not reflect the most current information. (November 2015)

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (November 2015) Click [show] for important translation instructions. [show]

Three cars were recovered in Paris after the attacks.

1. A Volkswagen Polo with Belgian number plates abandoned near the Bataclan theatre was rented by a French citizen living in Belgium and contained a parking ticket from the town of Molenbeek.^[126]
2. A Seat was found in the Paris suburb of Montreuil on 15 November and contained assault rifles.^[127]
3. A Renault Clio that had been rented by Salah Abdeslam containing assault rifles was discovered on 11 November near Montmartre.^[128][129]

On 14 November, a car was stopped at the Belgium–France border and its three occupants were questioned but then released. Three more people were arrested in Molenbeek.^[130] Links to the ISIL attack in France were investigated in an arrest in Germany on 5 November, when police stopped a 51-year-old man from Montenegro and found automatic handguns, hand grenades and explosives in his car.^[131]

As of 15 November, the French authorities were trying to locate Salah Abdeslam, a 26-year-old Belgian citizen, describing him as dangerous and warning the public not to approach him.^[132] According to Belgian officials, his brother, Ibrahim Abdeslam, died in the massacre on 13 November.^[133] Another brother, Mohamed, was detained on 14 November in the Molenbeek area of Brussels but was released after several hours of questioning.^[134] Mohamed said he had no reason to suspect his siblings of planning anything.^[120] On 15–16 November, French tactical police units, in a raid of over 200 locations in northern and southern France, arrested 23 people and seized weapons.^[135]Another 104 people were placed under house arrest.^[136][137]

On 18 November, police raided a flat in Saint-Denis. Abdelhamid Abaaoud was killed in the ensuing gunfight, which lasted several hours.^[101][102] A second suspect, who police initially identified as a female cousin of Abaaoud,^[138] died by detonating an explosive vest.^[139] However, the suicide bomber was later determined to be male and remained unidentified, while a third body, that of the female cousin, was located in the rubble. Eight suspected militants were arrested at or near the flat and were being questioned.^[140]During the operation, a police dog was killed and five policemen and a resident were slightly injured.^[141][142]

Analysis of tactics

Michael Leiter, former director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center, said the attacks demonstrated a sophistication not seen in a city attack since the 2008 Mumbai attacks and that it would change how the West regards the threat.^[143] Further comparisons were made between the Paris attacks and the Mumbai attacks.^{[144][145][146]}Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner (Law and Order) Deven Bharti pointed out the similarities as having several targets, shooting indiscriminately and the use of improvised explosive devices.^[147][148] According to Bharti, the key difference was that the attackers in Paris did not attempt to prolong the attack and blew themselves up at the first hint of capture.^[149] Evidence points to the attackers having regularly used unencrypted communications during the planning of the attack.^[150]

ISIL responsibility

ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks on the morning of 14 November.^{[151][152][153][154]} Less than a day after the attacks, the Al-Hayat Media Group, their media organ, launched a website on the dark web extolling them and recommending the encrypted instant messaging service Telegram.^[155][156] Claimed motives included ideological objection to Paris as a capital of "abomination and perversion",^[157] retaliation for French airstrikes in Syria and Iraq^[23] as well as the foreign policy of François Hollande in relation to Muslims worldwide.^[158]

Casualties

Deaths by citizenship

Citizenship	Deaths
France *	TBA
Belgium *	3[159]
Chile	3[160]
Spain	3[161]
Algeria	2[162]
Egypt *	2[163]
Germany	2[164][165]
Mexico *	2[160]
Portugal *	2[166]
Romania	2[167][168]
Senegal	2[166]
Tunisia	2[166]
Italy	1[169][170]
Morocco	1[166]
Russia	1[171]
Sweden	1[80]
Turkey *	1[172][173]
UK	1[160]
USA *	1[166]
Venezuela	1[174][175]
Total	130[2]
* Some victims had multiple citizenships. Counts are based on preliminary data and may not be complete.

The attackers killed 130 victims and injured 352–368,^[4][176] with 80 taken to hospital in serious condition.^[5] Of the dead, 89 died at the Bataclan theatre, 19 at La Belle Équipe, 15 at Le Carillon and Le Petit Cambodge, 5 at Café Bonne Bière and La Casa Nostra, and 1 at Stade de France.^[177] Victims were confirmed from at least 26 countries (some holding multiple citizenships). Among those who died at the Bataclan were a music critic of Les Inrockuptibles,^[178] an executive of Mercury Records France, and the merchandise manager of Eagles of Death Metal.^[179]

Aftermath

Local response

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks § Popular reactions

The hashtag #portesouvertes ("open doors") was used by Parisians to offer shelter to those afraid to travel home after the attacks.^[180]

As had been the case in January, the Place de la République became a focal point of mourning, memorial, and tributes.^[181] An impromptu memorial also developed near the Bataclan theatre.^[182] On 15 November, two days after the attacks, a memorial service was held at Notre Dame Cathedral, presided over by the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, with several political and religious figures in attendance.^[183]

Muslim organisations in France such as the Union of Islamic Organisations of France strongly condemned the attacks in Paris.^{[184][185][186]}The attacks affected business at high profile venues and shopping centres in Paris, and many Parisians were concerned the attacks might lead to a marginalisation of Muslims in the city.^[187] There was not the same call for solidarity with Islam, as in January, following the attacks.^[188]

Official response

French governmental response

President François Hollande issued a statement asking the French people to remain strong in the face of the attacks.^[189][190] He also visited the Bataclan theatre and vowed to "mercilessly" fight against terrorism.^[68] Hollande chaired an emergency meeting of the French Cabinet that night and directed his national security council to meet the next morning.^[68] The authorities urged the residents of Paris to stay indoors for their own safety and declared a state of emergency.^{[26][73][191]} Hollande cancelled his trip to the 2015 G-20 Antalya summitbecause of the attacks, instead sending Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Finance Minister Michel Sapin as his representatives.^[192] On 14 November, Hollande announced three days of national mourning.^[193] On 17 November, Hollande convened a special Congress of the French Parliament to address the attack and lay out legislative and diplomatic plans he wanted to take in response to them. These proposals included an extension of the state of emergency for three months, changes to the French constitution, one of which would enable France to protect itself from dual citizens who might pose a risk, and an increase in military attacks against ISIL.^[194]

French military response

On 15 November, the French Air Force launched the biggest airstrike of Opération Chammal, its bombing campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, sending 10 aircraft to drop 20 bombs on Raqqa, the city where ISIL is based.^[135] On 16 November, the French Air Force carried out more airstrikes on ISIL targets in Raqqa, including a command centre and a training camp.^[195] The French Army reported that whereas normally they would receive between 100 to 150 applications per day, this rose to 1500 in the week after the attack, higher than the rise to 400 after the Charlie Hebdo attack.^[196]

Intelligence review

French police gathering evidence at the Bataclan theatre on 14 November

Shortly after the attacks, intelligence staff in multiple countries began to review electronic surveillance recorded before the attacks.^[67]Adam Schiff, the ranking Democratic member of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he did not know of any intercepted communications that would have provided warning of the attacks.^[197]

One source said the French National Police met with German police and intelligence services a month before the attack to discuss suspicions that terrorists were staking out possible targets in France. The exact targets were not known at that time.^[198]

Police in Germany stopped a car on 5 November, arrested its driver, and confiscated weapons that may have been connected to the Paris attacks.^[199]

Some of the attackers were known to law enforcement officials prior to the attacks, and at least some of the attackers had residences in the Molenbeek area of Brussels, which is noted for its links to extremist activities.^[21] A counter-terrorism expert said the fact that the perpetrators were known to authorities suggests that intelligence was "pretty good" but the ability to act on it was lacking. The number of Europeans who have links to Syria makes it difficult for security services to keep track of them all.^[200]

Security changes

A local resident walks her dog on 14 November, the day after the attacks.

In response to the attacks, France was put under an état d'urgence (state of emergency) for the first time since 2005,^[25] borders were temporarily closed, and 1,500 soldiers were called in to help the police maintain order in Paris.^[8][73][201] The plan blanc (Île de France) andplan rouge (global), two contingency plans for times of emergency, were immediately activated.^{[202][203][204]} Belgium tightened security along its border with France and increased security checks for people arriving from France.^[26]

Flights to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport were mostly unaffected.^[67] American Airlines delayed flights to Paris until further notice.^[205] Many Paris Métro stations in the 10th and 11th arrondissements were shut down because of the attacks.^[73][206] Ubersuspended car hails in Paris after the attacks.^[207]

All state schools and universities in Paris remained closed the next day.^[208][209] Sports events in France for the weekend of 14–15 November were postponed or cancelled.^[210][211] Disneyland Paris, which had operated every day since opening in 1992, closed its parks as a mark of respect for those who died in the attacks.^[209][212] The Eiffel Tower, a Paris landmark visited by 20,000 people a day, was closed indefinitely.^[209][213] Other venues that were to remain closed included shops and cinemas.^[209] Protests were banned until 19 November,^[209] while bands such as U2, Foo Fighters, Motörhead, and Coldplay cancelled performances in Paris.^[214]

Cities in the United States took security precautions, especially at sites where large crowds were expected, as well as sports events, concerts, the French embassy and other French government sites.^[215][216] William J. Bratton, the New York City Police Commissioner, said the Paris attacks have changed the way law enforcement deals with security.^[217] Singapore raised its national security alert level, stepping up border checks and security across the city-state.^[218] Police and military authorities in Manila were placed on full alert in preparation for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.^[219]

French domestic politics

All major political parties, including Hollande's governing Socialist Party, Marine Le Pen's National Front, and Nicolas Sarkozy's Republicans temporarily suspended their election campaigns for the upcoming French regional elections.^[220] There was a nationwide minute of silence at noon which François Hollande and several ministers observed at a ceremony at the Paris Sorbonne University.^[221]

On 18 November 2015, Francois Hollande reaffirmed France's commitment to accept 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years.^[222] This was despite the doubts that the terror attack had sown in people's minds. His announcement drew a standing ovation from a gathering of French mayors.^[223]

International reactions

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks

Many heads of state and heads of government, as well as the United Nations, offered messages of condolence and solidarity in the wake of the attacks.^[224] On 16 November, there was a minute of silence in Europe at noon CET as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives.^[225][226]

The National Gallery in London in the colours of the French flag

The attacks prompted European officials—particularly German officials—to re-evaluate their stance on EU policy toward migrants, especially in light of the ongoing European migrant crisis.^[227][228] Many German officials believed a higher level of scrutiny was needed, and criticised the position of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but the German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel defended her stance, and pointed out that a lot of migrants were fleeing terrorism.^[228]

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that he would be meeting with EU ministers on 20 November in Brussels to discuss how to deal with terrorism across the European Union.^[229] Meeting reports indicated that Schengen area border controls have been tightened for EU citizens entering or leaving, with passport checks^[230] and systematic screening against biometric databases. This is based on a temporary measure; changing the rules on a long term basis could take months.^[231]

Poland's European affairs minister designate Konrad Szymański declared that, in the wake of the attacks, he saw no possibility of enacting the recent EU refugee relocation scheme.^[232][233] A few days later the Prime Minister of Poland Beata Szydlo stated that Poland would honour the commitment it has made and allow the refugees into Poland.^[234] Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, rejected the concept of mandatory resettlement quotas.^[235]Andrej Babiš, Czech deputy prime minister, proposed closing the Schengen border.^[236] However, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka criticized the president for supporting anti-Islamic groups and spreading hatred, according to Reuters, whose report also adds that the government has been deporting migrants.^[237]

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that makes it more difficult for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the United States. The bill still needs to pass the Senate and President Obama has stated that if it does pass the Senate he will veto the bill.^[238] At least 31 governors of US states said they oppose accepting Syrian refugees into their states, although the decision belongs to the federal government.^[239] Numerous mayors of major US cities have said they would welcome more refugees.^[240]

Canada has maintained its promise to accept 25,000 refugees, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it would be done in a manner that would protect Canadians.^[241] By 20 November 2015, financial plans were being made for the proposed funding for six years, estimated at $1.1 billion.^[242] Discussions as to how and where refugees will be resettled were also under way. All of the provinces had agreed to accept refugees and all but one provided specifics as to the number.^[243]

The hacktivist group Anonymous declared "war" on ISIL in its largest operation to date,^[244] and by the second day, it had taken down 3,824 pro-ISIL Twitter accounts^[245] anddoxxed multiple recruiters.^[246]

Muslim officials

Main article: Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks § Responses from Muslim groups

Muslim heads of state,^[247] scholars, imams, leaders and groups condemned the attacks, many before ISIL even claimed responsibility.^[247] This included the imam who heads the University of Al-Azhar in Egypt; the Supreme council of Religious Scholars in Saudi Arabia;^[248] Iranian president Hassan Rouhanil^[249] and the Ahmadiyya caliph Mirza Masroor Ahmad.^[250]

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad condemned the terror attacks in Paris, but added that France's support for Syrian rebel groups had contributed to the spread of terrorism.^[251]France had been a particularly vocal opponent of Assad during the Syrian civil war.^[252]

The al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, praised the attacks, saying that even though they viewed ISIL as "dogs of hellfire," they applauded when "infidels" get attacked by ISIL. On the other hand, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam, the major mainstream Islamist rebels against the Syrian regime, both reprimanded the attacks.^[253]Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, condemned the attacks, and expressed his solidarity with the French people.^[254] Other militant groups also reprimanded the attacks, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.^[255]