Belgian police arrest 'several people' after searches linked to Paris attacks

BRUSSELS - Belgian police on Saturday arrested several people during searches in a district of Brussels following a wave of attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State, the Belgian justice minister said.

In a Twitter message, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said "multiple searches and arrests" had been made, and that they were related to a vehicle with a Belgian number plate.

A Belgian car was seen near the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, according to witness accounts.

A Justice Ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm the precise number of arrests or give any further details.

The website of the public broadcaster RTBF reported that police searches were continuing in the Molenbeek district of Brussels.

It quoted a source close to the operations as saying there had been "between two and three searches, linked to the Paris attacks" and that five people had been arrested.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Obama leads chorus of world outrage over Paris attacks

WASHINGTON, United States - US President Barack Obama led a chorus of global condemnation of attacks in Paris that killed more than 100 people Friday, as nations pledged solidarity with France and vowed to help hunt down the perpetrators.

The shootings, explosions and a hostage-taking at a popular concert venue in the French capital reverberated around the world, especially in countries such as the United States, Britain and Spain, previous scenes of devastating acts of terror.

"It's an attack not just on the people of France. But this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share," Obama said in an address at the White House.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people."

In London, where 52 people were killed and hundreds wounded in a series of coordinated suicide bombings on the city's public transport system in 2005, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "We will do whatever we can to help."

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called his French counterpart to express solidarity and his Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo raised the specter of a "jihadist" attack.

One witness said an attacker at the Bataclan music venue yelled "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and fired into the crowd at the concert given by US rock band Eagles Of Death Metal.

"All of this confirms that we are facing an unprecedented challenge, a hugely cruel challenge," Garcia Margallo told public television TVE in Spain, scene of the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences.

"As a country that knows very well the manner and consequences of terrorism, we understand perfectly the suffering that France is experiencing now," he said. Last month, twin bombings on a peace rally in Ankara killed 102 people.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted that she was "in the process of following with pain and dread the events in Paris."

"Europe is with France and the French people," she said.

- 'Appalled and outraged' -

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" with French President Francois Hollande and the people of France in what he called "our common battle against terrorism."

Since the start of October, Israel has been faced with a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks.

In Asia, where people woke up to the news from Paris, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Facebook that he was "shocked."

"It is not the first time innocent civilians have been massacred like this in this troubled world. But each time it happens we again feel appalled and outraged beyond words, for an attack like this is in fact an attack on our shared humanity," Lee said.

In Washington, Obama pledged to work with France to bring those responsible to justice.

"We are reminded in this time of tragedy that the bonds of liberte, egalite, fraternite are not just the values French people share, but we share," he said.

"Those go far beyond any act of terrorism or the hateful vision of those who perpetrated the crimes this evening."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

French witness relates 'bloodbath' at packed concert venue

PARIS, France - A French radio reporter who was inside the Bataclan theatre that came under attack Friday gave a harrowing account of the "10 horrific minutes" when black-clothed gunmen wielding AK-47s entered and fired calmly and randomly at hundreds of screaming concertgoers.

"It was a bloodbath," Julien Pierce, a reporter for France's Europe 1 radio station, told CNN.

"People yelled, screamed and everybody lying on the floor, and it lasted for 10 minutes, 10 minutes, 10 horrific minutes where everybody was on the floor covering their head(s)."

"We heard so many gunshots and the terrorists were very calm, very determined and they reloaded three or four times their weapons and they didn't shout anything. They didn't say anything."

Pierce recounted seeing 20 to 25 bodies on the floor and others very badly injured.

Police sources later said at least 100 people were killed at the attack on the concert venue.

Another witness said gunmen shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) fired into the terrified crowd who had gathered to watch a concert by the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal at the Bataclan theatre in eastern Paris on Friday night.

- 'Yelling and screaming' -

Pierce said he was lucky to be near the front of the stage as the gunmen, wearing black clothes and wielding AK-47s, opened fire.

"People started to try to escape to walk on people on the floor and try to find the exits, and I found an exit when the terrorists reloaded their guns in the meantime, and I climbed on the stage and we found an exit."

The journalist said he took a teenage girl who was bleeding heavily and carried her to a taxi where he told the driver to take her to hospital.

He said that as he was speaking to CNN some of his friends were still hiding inside the theatre.

"They are hiding in some kind of room in the dark and they text me, and they are very afraid, of course, and they are waiting for the police to intervene, but it's been over two hours now and this is terrible."

Later in the night police stormed the venue. Three suspected assailants were shot dead during the assault.

Pierce said he saw the face of one of the gunmen, who was probably 20 to 25 years old.

Asked if he could hear what language they were speaking, he replied, "Nothing. I heard nothing, just the yelling and screaming of the people. They didn't shout anything. They didn't say anything. They said nothing. They just shot. They just shoot. They were just shooting at people."

"What happened was terrible. I mean, honestly, 15 minutes, 10 minutes of gunshots firing randomly in a small concert room. I mean, it's not a huge concert room. It's a small one. Two thousand people were there maximum and it was -- it was horrible."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com