7 Things You Need To Know About The Paris Attacks

A woman praying for some of the victims of the attack

France witnessed the most fatal violence on its soil since World War II and the first to befall a Western European city since a series of train bombings in Madrid, Spain that had   191 people killed (March 11, 2004).

The Friday attacks, for which the Islamic state group claimed responsibility, has presented other countries an opportunity to learn a lesson and further strengthen their securities and has also raised a lot of questions: who is next? What is the fate of Syrian refugees in Europe?

Here are 7 things you need to know about the Paris attacks.

Casualties: At least 120 people died

More than 80 young people are said to have been killed at the Bataclan concert hall, while about 40 people died in shootings and bombings at restaurants, shopping centre and the national stadium. The string of attacks left around 200 people injured.

A witness from one  the restaurants recounts: "I saw my final hour unfOLD before me, I thought this was the end. I thought, 'I’m finished, I’m finished.'"

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Paris
Terrorist Attack

The Islamic state released a statement on Friday night claiming responsibility for the attacks. According to TheGuardian.com, the group said France was its “top target”and the locations were carefully studied for the operation to be carried out. The newspaper released a statement -written in French - credited to the Terrorist organization.

Eight assailants were killed

The attack which was carried out in a coordinated assault in carefully targeted locations in Paris recorded the death of eight assailants, seven of them had blown themselves up while one was shot dead by the French police.


Retaliation Of French Military Attack Against Syria

The extremist group says the killings were in response to airstrikes against its militants in Syria. Recall that in September 2015, The French military carried out airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. The terrorist group's statement warned the attacks were "only the start of the storm".

Manhunt for suspects continues

According to reports by French authorities, three brothers living in Belgium are suspects in Friday's attacks that killed over people and left many injured. One of the brothers, Ibrahim Abdeslam, blew himself up outside one of the attacked restaurants in Paris , while another, Mohamed, was held in police custody on Saturday in Brussels. The third brother, Salah Abdeslam, 26, is currently on the run.

State Of Emergency

Following Friday's heinous attacks, France President, François Hollande declared a state of emergency, and ordered the deployment of 1,500 troops around Paris.

Fate Of Syrian Refugees

With ISIS claim to be behind the series of attacks in Paris, the question about the fate of the Syrian refugees have been raised in some quarters. Some analyst have said that the attacks ARE unlikely to change the position of France policies on Syria. However, the same cannot be said for other countries as Poland who has decided to slam its doorS to Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris killings.