Over 100 Reportedly Killed in Hostage Situation at Eagles of Death Metal Show in Paris
Eagles of Death Metal performing at Le Bataclan tonight, via Instagram
A wave of violence has broken out in Paris tonight, with multiple shootings leaving many people dead, according to The New York Times. Over a hundred people were reportedly killed at Le Bataclan, a club in the 11th arrondissement, where Eagles of Death Metal were performing.
Update 11/13 6:15 p.m.: The Washington Post has spoken with the mother of Eagles of Death Metal drummer Julian Dorio, who says that her son, and the rest of the band members, are safe. The Post reports, “She said she spoke to her son’s wife, who said that the band members had managed to flee the concert hall when the attack began. The fate of several crew members remains unknown, she said.”
Update 11/13 6:30 p.m.: Europe 1 journalist Julien Pearce was in the venue during the attack, the BBC reports. “Several armed men came into the concert,” he told the BBC. “Two or three men, not wearing masks, came in with what looked like Kalashnikovs and fired blindly on the crowd. It lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. It was extremely violent and there was panic. The attackers had enough time to reload at least three times. They were very young.”
Update 11/13 6:37 p.m.: The AFP reports that police have “stormed” Le Bataclan.
Update: 11/13 6:48 p.m.: Eagles of Death Metal posted on Facebook, “We are still currently trying to determine the safety and whereabouts of all our band and crew. Our thoughts are with all of the people involved in this tragic situation.”
Update 7:03 p.m.: According to the Associated Press, the police raid on Le Bataclan has finished, and “at least 2 attackers” have been killed. The New York Times reports that the hostage situation has ended. The AFP later reported that three attackers were killed.
Update 11/13: 7:17 p.m.: The AFP reports that “around 100 people” have died at Le Bataclan.
Update 11/13 8:38 p.m.: Drummer Julian Dorio’s brother Michael told Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News that the attack happened in the middle of the band’s set:
He said they were playing, about six songs into the show, they heard, before they saw anything, they heard automatic machine gunfire. It was so loud, it was louder than the band, and they hit the stage floor. As they got up to try to evacuate they saw men with machine guns just shooting anything and everything in the venue. Fifteen hundred people, Julian said, was about the capacity of the venue. I don’t know if it was seated or standing but Julian, the lead singer and some of the crew, there was a door back of the stage that led to a street and they flew out the back door.
Update 11/13 9:39 p.m.: According to The Guardian, Paris police say that the perpetrators of the Bataclan attack “blew themselves up with suicide belts as police closed in, killing four.” Police also say “the gunmen first sprayed cafes outside the venue with machine gunfire, then went inside the concert hall and killed more before the assault by security forces.”
Update 11/13 9:53 p.m.: According to U2′s website, a previously-scheduled concert set to air live on HBO tomorrow night will not happen. The post reads:
As a result of the ongoing state of emergency across France, the U2 Paris concert scheduled for 14th November will not be going ahead as planned. U2 and Live Nation, along with HBO who were due to live broadcast the Saturday concert, are fully resolved to go ahead with this show at an appropriate time.
Speaking from Paris the band said:
“We watched in disbelief and shock at the unfolding events in Paris and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families across the city tonight.
We are devastated at the loss of life at the Eagles of Death Metal concert and our thoughts and prayers are with the band and their fans.
And we hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe”.
Additionally, Coldplay have postponed a live stream that would have been broadcast on TIDAL.
Update: 11/13 10:23 p.m.: An NBC News report that a band member was killed is not true, a representative for Eagles of Death Metal confirms. All of the band members are safe.
Update 11/13 10:03 p.m.: Frank Ocean has posted the following two notes on his Tumblr:
Love to Paris and any individual or family who’s lost loved ones to evil anywhere in this world. Chill w/ the angles.
On the real though Donald Trump. How is it ‘interesting’ that these shootings happened in a country that’s tough on guns? Tell us Don? Because it sounds like that vacuous observation was about giving your NRA-loving constituency a handjob and spinning a tragedy for political gain and I’m thinking maybe using a situation where dozens of innocents have just been murdered in the streets isn’t the best time. No?
Ocean was referring to a tweet by Donald Trump. The tweet is dated January 7, sent in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It appears to have been picked up again as the subject of public controversy in light of tonight’s events.
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