Washington, Nov 14 – President Barack Obama said the U.S. is prepared to provide whatever assistance France needs in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris that killed dozens of people on Friday night. “We’ve seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians,” Obama told reporters in Washington during hastily arranged remarks. “This is an attack not just on Paris, an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share.”
At least 35 people were reported dead during multiple acts of violence in Paris, including shootings in a Paris restaurant and explosions near the country’s main sports stadium, the AP said. About 100 hostages were also taken at the theater, AP said.The attacks unfolded in what appeared to be coordinated fashion across the French capital. Explosions were reported outside the city’s main sports stadium as the French and German national teams met in a friendly match. Gunfire broke out near a restaurant in the 10th arrondissement, as gunmen seized hostages at the Bataclan theater.
Obama was first informed about the attacks by his counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, a White House official said Friday. Obama had spoken earlier Friday, before the attacks, to French president François Hollande, who was evacuated from the stadium following the explosions. The two discussed climate talks in Paris scheduled for early December, which Obama plans to attend.
Obama said the U.S. would do whatever it took to “bring these terrorists to justice and to go after any terrorist networks who go after our people.” He said the U.S. did not yet know the details of what had happened, and it appeared “live activity” may still be ongoing. Obama said he had not yet called Hollande because the situation was still unfolding. U.S. officials had been in touch with their counterparts in Paris, he said.
The attacks came hours after the White House acknowledged the U.S. had launched a strike targeting Mohammed Emwazi, an Islamic State extremist known as “Jihadi John.” The ISIL leader became infamous internationally from his appearance in videos showing the beheadings of Americans held by the terrorist group. The White House earlier Friday said the strike, in which Emwazi is presumed to have been killed, was evidence the U.S. had made “important progress” in the fight against the Islamic State. The president is scheduled to travel to Turkey on Saturday for the G-20 economic subject, where leaders say they will discuss efforts to combat the Islamic State.
