Terrorist attacks on Paris

It has been a weekend of death and despair for the City of Lights, as chaos unfolded throughout the French capital of Paris.

Stade de France – the country’s national stadium - during a football match

In what was the worst attack on home soil since World War Two, at least 120 people were killed and several more were injured after shootings and a suicide bombing on Friday night (November 13). These occurred at seven popular sites in Paris, including a packed concert hall, at least a couple of bars and restaurants, and the iconic Stade de France – the country’s main sports stadium.

The Bataclan Theatre – one of the venues that were targeted – the day after the terrorist attack

Almost immediately, French President Francois Hollande declared a countrywide state of emergency, with the promise to show “no mercy” in fighting the attackers. While the mayor of Paris urged all Parisians to stay home, Paris itself was shut down on Saturday (November 14), with schools, museums, libraries and pools not opening their doors to the public.

French President Francois Hollande

French authorities are carrying out raids across the country to rein in the network responsible for orchestrating Friday's terrorist attacks. ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has claimed responsibility for the massacres and, in response, France has carried out air strikes on targets in the militant organization's stronghold in Raqqa, Syria.

The remains of the historic Baghdad gate in Raqqa; a city captured by ISIS during the Syrian Civil War, and which is now the terrorist group’s headquarters in Syria

As of Monday (November 16), a huge manhunt is under way for surviving members and accomplices of the seven terrorist attackers who died in the assault on the French capital, most of them after detonating suicide belts. Police have named Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, as a key suspect. Officials described Salah Abdeslam as dangerous, and warned people not to approach him.

Molenbeek, one of the communes in Brussels, Belgium – the key suspect, Salah Abdeslam, is linked to this area, which the French officials have labeled as being “a haven for jihadists”

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)