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Coverage of Paris in Wake of Attacks; Merkel Speaks About Terror Attacks. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 14, 2015 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, from Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. Great to have you with us. We continue our live breaking news coverage this hour, the terror attacks in France. It is 9:00 a.m. right now in France, where there is a national state of emergency following Friday night's unprecedented and highly coordinated series of attacks.

HOWELL: At least 153 people were killed in six different locations, rocked by shootings and suicide bombings. And now to take you out to our live look at the massive security presence that is outside the Bataclan concert hall. I want to show you that site shortly. It is the site that saw the most carnage.

At least 112 people were killed there and many more wounded. And right now the French resident is meeting with the Defense Council.

WALKER: Now, authorities say eight attackers are dead, seven of whom blew themselves up. Some of the attackers were armed with AK-47s and some reportedly had explosive belts on. It is still unclear, however, as to how many attackers were involved in total.

HOWELL: Three explosions were heard outside the Stade de France. That is where the French President was among those watching a football match.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

An intelligence source tells us at least one blast appears to have been a suicide bombing. At least four people died at the stadium.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WALKER: Now, Parisians are being asked to stay indoors, though some are determined not to let terror win and opened their market stalls. President Francois Hollande said France will be ruthless in its response and praised first responders.

We want to go, now, to some live pictures, if we can get that up. As we said, the Defense Council is meeting with the French President. Here is a live picture of the Elysee Palace in Paris, where, again, Mr. Hollande is holding a Defense Council meeting this hour. It just convened, and the President has vowed, as we said, a, quote, "ruthless response" to those terror attacks, which he described to be an abomination.

HOWELL: CNN is live in Paris this hour. Our Senior International Correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, standing by live for us. Fred, many Parisians are waking up to this news. They're reading these headlines. They're understanding, trying to make some sense, if any sense, of what happened. The investigation is happening as we speak.

What more do we know about the investigation and the headlines that people are reading this day?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the headlines certainly are something that people here are waking up to, and the headlines certainly are quite grim this morning. In fact, we were looking at the morning papers and one that stood out to us was Le Parisien, saying (speaking in French) which means this time it is war.

And that, of course, referring to the fact that these attacks took place, that there was so much carnage in these attacks, but, also, of course, the way that these attacks were conducted, the fact that you had multiple attacks that seemed pretty clearly to be coordinated, the fact that some pretty heavy weapons were used in these attacks, assault rifles.

The fact that eight of these attackers were killed, and seven of them were wearing suicide vests, and seven of them managed to detonate those suicide vests. So all of that points to many of the publications here in Paris saying that this is a new quality of terror that has come to this city.

And it certainly is something that is, indeed, frightening a lot of people. I mean, you just said it. The government here has told people to -- that it would probably be better for them if they stay inside, to only venture out if they absolutely have to.

Judging from the scenes that we're seeing here on the streets, not everybody is adhering to them. Many people, of course, are trying to make a statement here and saying that they are not going to be intimidated by terrorists.

But, at the same time, many people here are very concerned, also, in light of the fact that, at this point in time, George, it's not clear whether or not the eight attackers that were killed were really the only ones who were involved in this attack, or whether or not there might still be others at large.

So all of these things certainly are weighing on Paris on this Saturday morning. It's reflected in the headlines in the newspapers. It's reflected in the mood of the people. And, at the same time, as you said, there is that Defense Council meeting going on right now, as the French government, as the French president, have vowed that there will be a strong response to this.

HOWELL: And, Fred, you point out there certainly is concern. You know, the number of wounded -- we say wounded, but people may have been seriously hurt in that. And there's concern that the number of casualties could rise.

At the same time, it's still unclear exactly how many people, how many shooters, how many people might have been involved in this situation. Can you tell us, what's the latest that we know from the French prosecutor? And we understand that there is a news conference that is set for later this day.

PLEITGEN: There is -- yeah, there is a news conference by the French prosecutor that is set to happen later today, where we do expect to find out more about what's going on with the investigation, more about how they plan to move forward with this investigation, and, also, what they know at this point in time.

There are certain facts the prosecutor has already put out late on Friday. That is, in part, the fact that it was eight attackers that were killed by the authorities here, four of them in the area behind me, in that theater where that rock concert was going on. Three of those inside that theater did manage to detonate their suicide vests. One was killed before he was able to, by the police.

And then, of course, there were also the suicide bombings that happened outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, while the match, Germany against France, was going on with about 80,000 people inside that stadium.

We also know that in total there were six locations that were hit by terror attacks. But, again, at this point in time, it is not clear who is behind all of this. Certainly, that is something that the authorities here hope to find out in the coming hours, in the coming days, as this investigation moves forward.

And it is certainly something where the authorities have told us it is, obviously, something that's very pressing to them, to find out whether or not there was some sort of larger, possibly more sophisticated network behind all this, George.

HOWELL: 9:06 in Paris, where people are just waking up to this news and learning more about what happened overnight. Fred Pleitgen live for us there. Fred, thank you so much for your reporting.

WALKER: Well, now, the attackers struck six locations in total in the French capitol and a suburb. We want to show you a map, now, and you can see where the attacks took place, including a busy concert venue, restaurants and bars, and the French national stadium.

At France's national stadium outside Paris, football fans were petrified after three blasts were heard nearby. And this video shows them rushing out in panic.

HOWELL: Look at that. Sports network ESPN reports that fans were told to avoid certain stadium exits, due to, quote, "events outside." But they were not told just how terrifying the violence was in the city. One eye witness says he was in awe.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): There was confusion. We heard two explosions, but at the beginning I thought that they were agricultural bombs. And there had been lots of rumors inside the stadium. We were at Gate E. It exploded just nearby. It's true that it was noisy, but I thought that it was only agricultural bombs.

But then there were rumors. We heard about a shooting. It was a lot of confusion inside the stadium, a very frightening crowd crush happened, with people on the ground.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

HOWELL: And, as we mentioned before, the French President, Francois Hollande, was among the soccer fans at that stadium, quickly evacuated. But, again, there were so many people, Amara, who were just there, who, you know, didn't quite understand the extent of what was happening until, you know, eventually, they did start to file out. And they did understand, you know, how intense the situation was.

WALKER: Yeah, we were actually -- my husband and I were actually watching the football game live on German TV.

HOWELL: Wow.

WALKER: And we heard the announcer say, "We just heard an explosion, and we understand that the president of France has been escorted out."

HOWELL: Yeah.

WALKER: So, even as a viewer, we understood something serious was going on.

HOWELL: A Paris journalist inside the Bataclan concert hall described it as 10 horrific minutes, as the gunmen opened fire. Concert goers, they were watching an American rock band perform, when the terrorists stormed into the building. The journalist says two attackers, that they were calm, they were determined, and they fired randomly, killing at least 112 people before the siege came to an end.

WALKER: Now, four attackers died when police raided the concert hall. SWAT teams saved 100 hostages. Another man who was inside the Bataclan during the ambush explains what he saw, but instead of going to that, we want to take you live to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She is responding to these Paris attacks. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (via translator): Fear. I would like to tell all the French people, we, the German friends, we are so close to you. We cry for you. We will fight the battle against terror. In my thoughts -- in my thoughts, there are the 160 people that -- whose lives have been taken and their families.

Germany -- Germany is feeling for you and is there for you with your sadness. The people that we are saddened for in the restaurants, in the concert hall, or on the open streets, they wanted to live a free life in the city, which is free. But, instead of that, they found murder. And these people hate freedom.

This attack on freedom is not -- is not hating Paris. We have to give the answer to that together. The German government is in tight contact with the French government, and we offer our cooperation. We will help to lead the fight against these terrorists.

Today, current of today, I will -- I will see the further development of the situation in France. This is our clear answer of the citizens. We live from the -- we live from the love of friendship, love of next and have respect of other people, and tolerance for other people.

We know that our free life is stronger than any terror. Let them -- let them give the terrorist our reply. These values are for all over Europe, and this is more than ever. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WALKER: And you were just listening to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, really just express her shock about what happened on Friday and, also, pledging her solidarity with France. She said that this was an attack on freedom, and she also pledged to -- that Germany would help in the fight against the terrorists.

And she said that Germany was standing with France and feeling for the country, as it really is in deep shock and mourning, and in a lot of fear. And, of course, as we were just mentioning a few moments ago that Germany was in the middle of a soccer match with France, at the stadium, when that explosion happened outside.

So, obviously, this is something that is hitting close to home. But, again, you heard there Ms. Merkel saying that -- expressing her solidarity with the country in this really difficult time and the tough times that are ahead.

HOWELL: As we've heard from Germany, we've heard also from the United States and Russia. And, of course, we will, you know, hear more from leaders, given what happened there in Paris.

WALKER: Well, we're going to take a short break. When we come back, the Paris attacks have shocked the world. Coming up in our breaking news coverage, the steps U.S. cities are taking to step up security.

HOWELL: Plus, as we mentioned, messages of support. They are coming in from around the world. What we are hearing from some of France's closest allies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to our Breaking News coverage, the aftermath of the terror attacks that left Paris, and that nation, in shock and disbelief. Seemingly coordinated attacks that happened Friday night, leaving at least 153 people dead, a number that we are told is likely to rise.

The attackers ruthlessly sought out soft targets, sports stadiums, a busy concert venue, restaurants and bars.

WALKER: Now, the French President, himself, among those in attendance at one of the target sites has convened his Defense Council to talk over how to respond to the attacks. French officials say all the attackers are dead, but it's still not clear how many were there in total.

Now, one witness at the epicenter of the terror attack spoke to Radio France about the moment the gunmen entered the Bataclan concert hall.

HOWELL: He says the shooter came in firing assault rifles and shouting, "Allahu Akbar," which is Arabic for "God is great." Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPOKEN)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

WALKER: Just heartbreaking. You can definitely hear the fear in his voice there. Well, with authorities still at this time unsure if there are more attackers at large. The country has stepped up security from its national borders to its ground presence inside the capitol.

Will Geddes if the Managing Director of International Corporate Protection, a private security firm. He is joining us know from London.

Great to have you on the program. As we mentioned, the Defense Council is meeting with President Hollande right now. And this is a country that's under a state of emergency. There's a curfew that's been implemented, which is quite extraordinary, along with the fact that the borders in France have been closed.

I'm just curious to know what your take might be on what might be -- what is being discussed right now during this Defense Council meeting and what you think this quote/unquote, "ruthless response" might be by France?

WILL GEDDES, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PROTECTION: Well, certainly, in terms of the French position, I think they're going to be trying to gather as much intelligence as they possibly can to try and determine, obviously, whether there were any indicators of this attack materializing, certainly, in terms of its planning or any advanced chatter that they may have been able to intercept, certainly, through social media or through other means of communications.

This seems to have taken them by surprise. I think Francois Hollande's reactions by putting the country into a state of emergency, talking about closing borders, restricting travel, would say that they are concerned that there are other potential simultaneous attacks that could materialize elsewhere in France, not just in Paris alone.

So it's very concerning. And, no doubt, that counts fast in the U.K. I know David Cameron is going to be holding a COBRA meeting today. I know, again, President Obama, all of them will be getting together to try and share as much intelligence as they can to determine what's going on.

WALKER: I mean, as you say, this is an attack that has caught a lot of people by surprise, but, you know, given that this is a country that has gone through, you know, some major terror attacks just this year, including Charlie Hebdo and, of course, you can't forget the thwarted attack on that French train that was headed to Paris this summer.

I mean, do you think France had not been expecting this kind of possible terror attack?

GEDDES: Well, no, I think they've been preparing for it. And, certainly, I know from a number of the government agencies and a number of the units that I have contacts within, they've been working on what we call the marauding terrorist plan, which is a plan, basically, to deal with exactly these types of situations.

Now, it's, in many respects, more a response plan than it is necessarily a prevention plan. It's very, very difficult to prevent these types of situations. And, although, there's been, no doubt, some considerable planning behind this attack last night, these operations can, certainly, be implemented very, very quickly by the terrorists.

All they need to do is designate their targets, have the suitable equipment. And this is, again, where the forensic investigation right now is going to be interesting, looking at the signatures of the construction of the suicide vests, looking at the weapons and where they could have potentially originated.

Again, it's really interesting, in terms of, certainly, looking at how, certainly, the French are responding to this in a far more -- or slightly, you know, a far better way, in some respects, than they did to Charlie Hebdo, because I don't think they were really that prepared for that.

WALKER: Yeah, and, so, on that note, do you think that this is going to be a game-changer for France, when it comes to the way the country deals with security? And I was listening to Jim Bittermann, who's been reporting all day on this, and, you know, he suggested that France might turn to some really draconian security measures.

GEDDES: Well, I think we're going to see that across Europe. I think, unfortunately, we have a number of different contributing factors. We have, obviously, this massive migrancy issue here in Europe, as well. And, I think, a lot of European countries, certainly on the continent, are considering, you know, we have a number of factors to bear in mind here.

Over and beyond the migrancy, we have this terrorism issue. And the ability to move across from country to country with very little restriction is going to present its own particular issue.

So it's going to be interesting to see how this rolls out in France, as to whether they decide to actually exclude themselves from the Schengen Agreement and, actually, close up their borders and start making far more robust and stringent border controls on anybody choosing to visit France.

WALKER: So you think that's definitely a possibility, closed permanently, closed borders, you know, despite the Schengen Agreement? I mean, what kind of security measures do you see -- foresee here?

GEDDES: Well, I see, potentially, them -- closing them entirely, obviously, they can't do. But what they will, no doubt, perhaps start creating initiatives towards will be, certainly, making those border points, certainly, far more robust.

And there will be a requirement to, actually, show evidence of ID and, certainly, passports to be able to enter France. I think there is concern. Certainly, with the succession of attacks that France has had in the last year, they realize, as they continue to work alongside the United States in targeting ISIS, certainly, in the airstrikes, that this problem isn't going to go away any time soon. This is a problem that's going to continue.

WALKER: And, you know, on that note, because I would imagine a lot of, you know, the French people are quite frightened right now, considering the fact that it's unclear if there are more attackers on the loose.

You talked about intelligence officials, what they might be doing right now, looking at communications online and some of that chatter. I mean, what do you think intelligence officials are doing right now to, you know, make sure that there are not more attackers out there, or that there are?

GEDDES: Well, you know, the French intelligence agencies are very, very good. You know, they've had a long history of dealing with these issues, and they have some very good capabilities at their resource.

They will be looking at, certainly, all the communications chatter that is going on right now. There were reports, obviously, of ISIS supporters, hashtagging "Paris in flames," as you know, last night. So they're going to be following up on a lot of different not only known sources, but, also, new sources that might be emerging on social media.

They're going to be trying to join those dots, see if anybody is actually making any specific reference, obviously, to these attacks with intelligence or information that could be more than just simply passing comment.

There will be, no doubt, a notification on communications traffic, and that will, also, be looking retrospectively of what communications traffic there have been in those particular districts where the attacks materialized, to see whether there was any kind of notification between the cells. And, again, this is a very long and lengthy process to, obviously, analyze.

WALKER: And just the beginning of a long and lengthy process. Will Geddes, Managing Director at the International Corporation for Protection. Great getting your perspective. Thank you so much for your time.

GEDDES: Thank you.

WALKER: Well...

HOWELL: The U.S. President, Barack Obama, he spoke with the French President, Francois Hollande, after the attacks.

WALKER: Yeah, Mr. Obama said the U.S. will give France, our, quote, "oldest ally" and friend steadfast, unwavering support.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that the government and the people of France need to respond. France is our oldest ally. The French people have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States time and again. And we want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Paris itself represents the timeless values of human progress. Those who think that they can terrorize the people of France, or the values that they stand for, are wrong. The American people draw strength from the French people's commitment to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.

We are reminded, in this time of tragedy, that the bonds of liberte, egalite, and fraternite are not only values that the French people care so deeply about, but they are values that we share."

(END VIDEOCLIP)

HOWELL: There's no doubt what happened there in France has resonated. You know, people are feeling it, you know, in the United States and many other places around the world, this fight against terrorism. And, at the same time, you find these cases where the terrorists target these soft targets, kill innocent people, you know, and your heart -- your heart bleeds for them. You just -- you can't help.

WALKER: Absolutely.

HOWELL: Yeah. Well, our CNN Breaking News coverage continues on the attacks in Paris. Coming up, we take a closer look at the places targeted during these attacks.

WALKER: Plus, the people of Paris are waking up to devastating headlines of six terror attacks in one night. The latest from Paris when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Amara Walker. HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. Let's update you on the Breaking News

we're covering, the terror attacks in France. It was a night of pure panic there. Now, people across France are facing a national state of emergency after a series of highly coordinated attacks rocked the capitol city.

At least 153 people were killed in six different locations, including the country's national sports stadium.

WALKER: Now, the deadliest assault was at the Bataclan concert hall, where 112 lives were brutally taken. Witnesses say the gunmen entered the crowded theater during a concert and shot at them for at least 10 minutes.

Paris officials say eight attackers are dead, seven of them in suicide blasts. No group has yet claimed responsibility, but President Francois Hollande vows France will be ruthless in its response.

We want to give you a sense of exactly where all of this happened in Paris, and CNN's Tom Foreman has an overview.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All of these attacks took place north of the traditional tourist areas in Paris, along the Champs-Elysses and Notre Dame, that sort of thing. And the first one over here, when we talk about the Bataclan theater attack, this was really quite a short distance from the old Charlie Hebdo offices, as you can see.

Bataclan theater holds about 1,000 people, maybe a little bit more. It is a structure that would be considered a medium-size venue. And shortly before the concert began, the bass player for the band, this American band from California, Tweeted out this photograph of the venue inside there. So you get a little sense of what it was like.

From the street level, you can see that most of the buildings around it are a little bit taller than the theater itself, and you can see some of the view there on the street, where, of course, many of the victims came out, as they tried to flee, and then later on, as they tried to triage people, to see who was hurt and who had been killed.

As we move further, not terribly far away, a short car ride and not a bad walk, even, you get to this restaurant, Le Petit Cambodge. This is a popular restaurant in the area. It is in some tourist guide books.

It's not really a tourist site, very much, more of a local site, but it would be very crowded, because it's very popular with young people there, Cambodian food being offered here. And, also, a very densely- populated neighborhood here in the 10th arrondissement, or neighborhood, or district of Paris, as they would call it.

And, then, if we move on to the stadium, you're getting much further north here. But you're, also, getting to a much, much bigger crowd. It's a modern stadium. Had an event underway, the soccer match, 80,000 people at this stadium.

And this is where we know there was a suicide bomber, according to the authorities. Why that suicide bomber did not find the opportunity to strike more people, we don't know. It is a good thing that they did not, but that will be one of the many things they try to sort out, as authorities go over this geography of where the attackers came from, how they wound up where they did, and how they staged these attacks.

But, again, six different locations and, seemingly, you know, within the same window of time. So investigators are, certainly, looking into this. This is not something that, you know, a couple of guys came up with over the Internet. It seems like it was coordinated and planned.

WALKER: Oh, yeah. It was, absolutely, highly coordinated. Well, we do have a story that's a bit more on a positive note, and one witness to the attacks says his cell phone, actually, saved his life.

HOWELL: That man, who is going by the name Sylvester, says that his phone blocked shrapnel, as he crossed the street near the Stade de France. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

(FRENCH SPOKEN)

SYLVESTER (via translator): By the time it took to hang up, I was crossing the street and straight away, boom, it exploded right in front of me. Everything was blown to bits, and I felt stuff flying around. And I left. I fell, and then I got back up. And that's when you guys saw me. You were already there.

So this is the cell phone that took the hit. It's what saved me. Otherwise, my head would have been blown to bits.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

HOWELL: Paris journalist Julien Pierce was inside the Bataclan concert hall during the attack.

WALKER: And he spoke to Anderson Cooper about what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JULIEN PIERCE, JOURNALIST: The show was about to end. The band Eagles of Death Metal was playing for almost an hour. And, suddenly, we heard gunshots coming behind us. And, when I looked back, I saw at least two men, unmasked men. Maybe there were three, but in the confusion, I can't tell you exactly.

But they were holding assault rifles, AK-47. I'm sure about it. And they were firing randomly into the crowd. And, so, obviously, we all lie down on the floor, to not get hurt. And it was a huge panic. And the terrorists, sorry, shot at us for like 10 to 15 minutes.

It was like -- it was a bloodbath. And they shot at us, and they reloaded the guns several times, multiple times. And it's, actually, what -- I escaped, because they reloaded, basically. I just waited for the time they reloaded to run, to climb the scene, and to hide behind it.

And I tried to help a few people around me. And it was -- it was shocking. I mean it was panicking, huge panic. And, so, they shot at us for 15 -- 10 to 15 minutes. It was long. It was very, very long. And the Bataclan is not a huge concert room. It's about 1,000 people can gather in it.

And it was overcrowded. I mean, there were no empty room. It was sold out, basically. So it was easy for them.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So two to three men. And CNN has now confirmed that two gunmen were killed. And, again, this is the earliest report, but we are being told that two gunmen were killed inside the theater.

You're saying you saw two, possibly three, gunmen with AK-47 style long rifles shooting into the crowd. And this went on for 10 to 15 minutes? Were they standing and shooting? Were they moving around?

PIERCE: They were not moving, actually. They were just standing at the back of the scene, at the back of the crowd. And they were just shooting on the floor, because everybody was on the floor. And I seen one of the guy, very young, actually. He was like 18 years old, 19 years old, maximum, 20 maximum. And he was executing people on the floor, the person around them.

He was holding his assault rifle toward the people, down. He was shooting on people. So they were not moving, actually. They were just standing at the back of the concert room and shooting at us, like if we were birds.

COOPER: Were they saying anything?

PIERCE: I haven't heard anything about them. I haven't heard, "Allah Akbar" or something like this. I have some friends who escaped who heard them talking about Iraq and Syria, but I'm not quite sure about it. But I haven't heard anything but the screaming of the people.

COOPER: The gunmen, do you remember what they were wearing? Is it -- did they have heavy clothing? I mean, there had been some concern about --

PIERCE: No.

COOPER: -- possible suicide vests, or anything like that. Did you see anything that would indicate --

PIERCE: Not from what I've seen. They were wearing like jogging, black slacks. I mean, they were all wearing black. But no tactical vest, no -- nothing like this. They were just holding AK-47s. That's all. I haven't seen grenades. I haven't seen bombs or whatever. But, it happened so fast, I mean. We were just trying to hide and save our lives.

So I looked to one guy for a few times, I mean, the one I described to you, very young. And he wasn't wearing tactical stuff. He was just a random guy. I mean, I could have met him a few minutes before and never thought he was a terrorist.

COOPER: I know you said your friends said they heard some people speaking. Do you know what language they were speaking? Were they speaking French?

PIERCE: I believe so. I believe so, because the friends I talked to, said to me they were speaking French between them. So I believe they were speaking French. I don't know if they are French, but they were speaking French.

COOPER: Julien, when you -- Julien, when you sent to the concert, was there metal detectors or anything when you walked in? Were you searched by security?

PIERCE: Nothing. Nothing. We haven't been searched, body searched, nothing. I mean, I just showed my ticket. They slashed it, and that's it. I mean, they didn't look in my bag. They didn't look at nothing. Security was very poor, honestly.

COOPER: And, so, basically, I mean, the scene you're describing is one where, basically, everybody was laying down on the floor, and, over the course of 10 or 15 minutes, these people were just going around shooting people, executing them point blank.

PIERCE: Yes. That's the scene. That's what happened. And, hopefully, I was in the front of the -- I was by the front of the scene. So I was some kind of protected by the bullets. And but everybody was panicking. Everybody was trying to escape, so everybody was walking on bodies, trying to climb on the scene to get protection.

And so I said to the people around me just to calm down and to hide, play dead, basically. And we waited. We waited for the time they reloaded the gun to climb the scene and to hide ourselves in a small room on the right of the scene.

But, unfortunately, there were no escape in that room. It was just a closed room. So we were trapped. So we waited for five minutes. They stopped shooting. And the reloaded again and we run from the scene to find an exit.

And it's when I found an exit that I saw the body of a young girl, who got shot twice in the leg. She was bleeding very badly, and I grabbed her. I put her on my back, and we ran. We ran together, in the streets, for 200 or 300 meters. And I found a cab, and I stopped the cab. And I said to the taxi driver, "Well, go to the hospital with her."

But she was bleeding so badly, I don't know if she makes it. I don't know if she's still alive.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

HOWELL: He doesn't know if she's alive.

WALKER: A harrowing account of a very narrow escape. A man who escaped and, also, tried to save a life in the process. HOWELL: And he doesn't know at this point.

WALKER: Yeah.

HOWELL: You know, there are so many wounded that are in the hospitals. And the thing about this situation at the Bataclan, I mean, we've heard about the suicide bombings, of course, but in this case, the gunmen went into the building. There were no masks. And many of our experts indicate, you know, that is a sign that they had no intention of leaving that situation alive. So that's certainly part of the investigation.

WALKER: Well, we're going to take a short break. We'll be back with more on the Paris attacks when we return.

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HOWELL: Deadly, coordinated, and unprecedented shootings and suicide blasts in and around Paris have shocked the world, killing at least 153 people. Here's what we know at this hour. French authorities say that terrorists targeted multiple locations, six locations, including restaurants and a sports stadium, all soft targets.

You're looking at the scene outside the deadliest attack, a concert hall where at least 112 people were killed.

WALKER: The Paris prosecutor says eight attackers are dead, some of them in suicide bomb blasts. Police shot and killed another attacker. For the latest from Paris, let's go to Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen, who is standing by live.

And, Fred, if you could just give us a sense of what the people are feeling. I'd imagine there's a sense of vulnerability and fear, especially not knowing for sure if there are more attackers out there.

PLEITGEN: Vulnerability, concern, I would say, fear. Also, of course, a lot of sadness, as well. It's actually interesting, because one of the people who was inside that building, as the siege was taking place, as these hostage-takers were in there, was actually just here a couple of minutes ago. And I managed to speak to him.

His name was Deni Plous (ph), and he said that when all of this started happening, he was actually dancing at this rock concert that was going on, Amara. And then, all of a sudden, he heard the shots started firing. And he and a couple of other people managed to save themselves into a smaller room, where they then were, for several hours, before all of this ended.

And he just described the fear that he had, also, of course, that many of the other people felt, as all of this was going on. He said he didn't hear anything except the fire of automatic weapons and people screaming inside that theater.

So, certainly, something that is a very traumatizing thing, not only, of course, for the people who had to go through all of this, but, of course, also, for the city, as a whole. There's many people who are very concerned, at this point.

As you said, it's not clear whether or not all the attackers who were involved in all of this are, actually -- have, actually, been killed, or whether or not there might still be some of them at large, or whether or not there is a larger network that is behind all this, as you said.

So far we know that eight attackers have been killed. Four of them were killed at the theater, where the rock concert was going on. And then, of course, there were, also, the suicide attacks that happened near the stadium in Saint-Denis.

So this is really something that's looking to many people like quite a complex, coordinated operation. And, so, they want to know whether or not some of the people who might be behind this operation are, in fact, still at large, Amara.

WALKER: So, you know, I guess, the big question is, you know, what happens next, in terms of, you know, France's response on the security front, and, also, in its reaction to this. You have the French President, Hollande, meeting with the Defense Council right now, as we speak.

You know, what's the sense that you're getting, in terms of what comes in the next few days and weeks ahead?

PLEITGEN: Well, I mean, the French President, also, has already said that there's going to be a very forceful response. But, at the same time, of course, the investigation is moving forward, as well.

We did hear a little bit from the prosecutor, who's in charge of all of this, saying that they are moving forward with their investigation, saying that they already know that there have been six cites that were targeted by these attackers.

And we also know that they do plan to hold a press conference later today, where we hope to learn more about how this investigation is progressing and whether or not they have any more information as to who might be behind all of this.

Now, at the same time, there is already a response, as far as the security is concerned. Security has been beefed up all around Paris, of course, at vulnerable points like airports, specifically. And, also, Army units have been deployed here as well, some 1,500 soldiers that are now, also, patrolling the streets here of Paris, as well.

So, on the one hand, you want to give people confidence back that the security forces here are in charge of the situation, are in command of the situation. You want to create an environment where people are willing and are comfortable with going out.

But, at the same time, of course, the investigation itself is something that does have a top priority. And Francois Hollande already said in his speech yesterday, in his remarks to this nation, that there would be a very forceful response, once the French find out who was behind this. WALKER: Yeah, some challenging times ahead and a lot of soul- searching, as well. Fred Pleitgen with the very latest from Paris. Thanks so much, Fred.

HOWELL: Well, the day after this attack in France and that country is grieving together.

WALKER: We'll show you newspaper headlines from across the country as our special coverage continues.

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WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. France is waking up to unprecedented horror. The French President right now evaluating what to do next, after more than 150 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks.

HOWELL: An attack at a concert venue. It started like this image you see, here, with the band performing. It ended in a terrible blood bath. Gunmen killed at least 112 people. Some of the survivors were held hostage for hours.

WALKER: And, at France's national stadium, three blasts unnerved football fans. You can see it in the photo here. Four people were killed outside the venue.

HOWELL: That wasn't all. At least four other locations in that city were attacked by gunmen. Officials say eight of the attackers are dead, seven of whom blew themselves up. No one has claimed responsibility yet.

The devastation of the attacks has spread across the front pages of French daily newspapers. Among the headlines, "Carnage in Paris" and "War in the center of Paris."

WALKER: The word "horror" is on at least three of the papers, and the cover of Le Parisien reads, "This time, it's war."

HOWELL: And right now on Twitter, "Pray for Paris" is one of the top hashtags worldwide.

WALKER: And looking at our Twitter heat map, you can see that the prayers are coming in from every continent. About 4,000 Tweets a minute are using the hashtag, many people saying they are heartbroken for France and thinking of the victims and their families.

And here are some of the images people are Tweeting. "Pray for Paris" with the Eiffel Tower in the message is being widely Tweeted, as is this peace symbol with the Eiffel Tower in the center.

HOWELL: Many people are posting photos of landmarks around the world, lit up in the tres colour, the French colors. This person writes, "When the lights of a city are turned off, the other cities turn on their lights for support."

And it's not just "Pray for Paris" that is a common sentiment. There's also, "Cry for Paris."

WALKER: Well, social media is, also, helping friends and family connect in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. People around the city have been able to let their loved ones know that they are OK through Facebook's Safety Check. The tool was launched in 2014 to help users connect during disasters.

HOWELL: And if you're looking for the status of a loved one who might be in Paris, just head to the Safety Check page on your Facebook account. The page lists friends who last checked in around the city and gives a running tally of who's marked as safe.

We thank you for watching us this hour. Our continuing coverage on the terror attacks will be back after the break.

WALKER: I'm Amara Walker. Thanks for watching.

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