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Continued Live Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 14, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the breaking news out of Paris. I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And I'm John Vause. It just got 11:00 here on the West Coast of the United States on a Friday night, but in Paris the sun is just starting to rise. This is a city in shock after a deadly unprecedented and highly coordinated series of terror attacks on Friday night.

SESAY: At least 153 people were killed in six different locations in Paris and one of its suburbs. Right now there is a national state of emergency and Parisians are being asked to stay inside.

VAUSE: Authorities say eight attackers are dead, seven blew themselves up. Some of them were armed with AK-47s and others reportedly had explosive belts. But it's still unclear how many attackers were directly involved in total.

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SESAY: Three explosions were heard at the Stade de France where the French president was watching a football match. At least four people died at the stadium.

VAUSE: But the worst of the carnage was at the Bataclan Concert Hall, where at least 112 people were killed. Witnesses say the gunmen entered the crowded theater during a concert, and shot at them for up to 15 minutes.

SESAY: Well, ISIS has applauded the attacks on Twitter, but there's been no official claim of responsibility. An extra 1,500 soldiers are being deployed throughout the city.

VAUSE: Before these attacks, Paris had already beefed up security because of the upcoming Global Climate Summit. Let's find out the very latest now from Paris. Fred Pleitgen joins us live. So Fred, we know that there's what -- 1,500 extra soldiers on the street? What other security measures can the people of Paris expect in the coming hours?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're just going to see a lot of beefed up security on the streets here in Paris. And certainly not just in central Paris, but in other places as well. I've been going around the city a little bit, John, and you can really feel the additional presence.

I mean, anybody who visits Paris on a regular day knows that, you know, they do have a considerable amount of police officers on the street. They do also have the occasional soldier on the street, as well. But it certainly is something where you can see that that presence has been beefed up a lot more since, of course, these attacks have taken place.

And one of the reasons, as you guys have stated is, of course, because it's not clear whether or not there are still suspects at large. Whether or not the eight attackers who were killed, seven of which, as you said, were wearing suicide vests and blew themselves up.

Whether or not that's it, or whether or not there are others, and who also is behind all of this. So until that's clear, you can really feel how this city is on a heightened state of alert. At the same time, of course, it is also very much in a state of sadness and a state of mourning.

Just a couple of minutes ago the early morning papers were delivered here, and one of them is the paper Aujourd'hui, which means today. And it says the massacre right in the heart of Paris. Then you have this one, which just says black cover L'Equipe that just says horror on it.

All of them going in similar directions, so you can really feel -- there's another one here that says -- Le Figaro -- that says the war in the middle of Paris. So you can -- you can feel how the people been absolutely shaken by the events that have taken place.

There's a lot of sadness, there's a lot of anger, and of course there are a lot of people who at this point in time are still opting to stay indoors out of safety reasons. It is something that their government has told them would be a good thing to do, John.

SESAY: Fred, it's Isha here. This is now coming 10 months after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. We saw after what happened in January, a country coming together. We saw them standing as one. The question many people have now is how fill France -- how will it respond as a nation to this latest strike?

PLEITGEN: You know, that is -- that is -- that is a very, very good question, Isha, and that certainly is something where I would say, of course, we are only a couple of hours after all of this has happened, but the jury certainly is out.

And if I recall, the hours after Charlie Hebdo happened, it didn't take long for demonstrations to start, for unity to be proclaimed, for people to come together on a (inaudible) and come up with that slogan, "Je suis Charlie" - 'I am Charlie."

And that certainly is something at this point in time that we are not seeing here yet. And one of the reasons, of course, is that people simply don't know whether or not this is over yet. There is still that fear here that there could still be attackers at large. It certainly is a much more subdued mood that we are feeling here in

Paris, rather than that almost - almost spiritual feeling that many people had after Charlie Hebdo happened, to show the world that Paris was capable of overcoming this. That the people of this nation would come together -- would overcome all of this together.

That is still something where we're waiting to see whether or not that sort of a feeling can still unfold here in the days and hours at this point after this horrific attack. Of course, we also have to keep in mind the attacks that happened here on Friday night, as far as the number of causalities concerned, are much greater than Charlie Hebdo itself.

Well over 100 people who have been killed, and if you look at the theater behind me where that rock concert was going on, how many people were killed there. The hostage situation that unfolded there.

It is certainly something that has really shaken these people and coming so shortly after Charlie Hebdo, has really put a lot of fear into a lot of people here.

VAUSE: Yeah, absolutely Fred. Thank you. And, of course, the immediate concern is that there could still be gunmen out there that they're trying to track down. There is, of course, a support network which they're trying to find. Fred Pleitgen there reporting live from the streets of (inaudible).

SESAY: Thank you, Fred.

VAUSE: Four minutes past eight on a Saturday morning. It's going to be the start of a very difficult day for that city. Thanks, Fred.

SESAY: Thank you, Fred. Well, one witness at the epicenter of the terror attacks spoke to Radio France about the moment the gunmen entered the Bataclan Concert Hall.

VAUSE: He says the shooters came in firing assault rifles and shouting Allahu Akbar. That is Arabic for God is great.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPOKEN)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: It is still unclear this hour who was behind these attacks. Steve Moore joins us again. He's a former FBI supervisory special agent. Steve, as we grapple with this issue -- this question of who was behind the attack -- when you look at how this all played out, what stands out to you as you try to answer that question?

STEVE MOORE, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: The logistical sophistication that it took to launch this attack was significant. The Al-Qaeda and Isis like to do leaderless resistance, the lone wolf attacks. They tell you generally what you want -- what they want you to do, and

then let you do it independently. But this seems to be more centrally planned, so this is going to change a lot of the paradigm on what you're looking for.

VAUSE: Okay. If you're a counterterrorism official sitting in Washington or London tonight -- any other major capitals of the world -- how worried are you, and what are you doing right now?

MOORE: Well, I'm scared to death because this is what we've always been afraid of -- that this -- small unit attacks and we're vulnerable to that. So what we are going to do is get together.

We are going to find every bit of intelligence that we have. We're going to sit at a table and we are going to try to put together a jigsaw puzzle with pieces that come from different sides of the ocean.

SESAY: The fear has to be copycats -- copycat attacks in other major capitals.

MOORE: It's certainly possible, but they're not going to be as carefully planned. That doesn't mean a lot to a victim, but they're not going to be as robust as this attack.

VAUSE: How do you know that? How do you know that because, I mean, this could be a new blueprint that ISIS -- they could have this in multiple countries.

MOORE: Well, if you're talking purely copycat, a copycat person is going to just jump off.

VAUSE: Sure. Oh, similar attacks I guess.

SESAY: Yeah, similar attacks.

MOORE: If we go to similar attacks, it could be that this is the first of a wave of attacks that they have planned. We don't know that. I mean, you have the Russian airliner going down, you have this attack.

VAUSE: The one in Beirut.

MOORE: I kind of thought that they were making threats after the Russian airliner went down. You're about to surprised. Maybe this is, but as a counterterrorism operative I can tell you that when you go to work in the morning your job is to make sure there's no smoke on the horizon when you go home that night. And it is a terrifying responsibility.

SESAY: And so, that being said, French counterterrorism -- the fact that this happens 10 months after Charlie Hebdo, after stepped up security measures, new counter security -- counterterrorism...

VAUSE: Sweeping's available to put in place to go.

SESAY: Sweeping's available to put in place, and this happens -- it begs the question, how good are they?

MOORE: Well, they're probably pretty good against the threat that they were against in January. When the -- when ISIS sees what the French, or the Americans, or the Russians are going to do to counteract them, they are going to -- like a football team, they are going to find seams in our defenses, and they are going to go in that direction.

And that's what they did here. They found and exploited a weakness, and that's going to happen all through history. And as we go forward, every time we make a move, they'll make a counter move. Nine eleven -- nobody on 9/10 would have believed that anybody with box cutters could kills 2,500 people. But they changed the paradigm.

VAUSE: This gets us to the question of ISIS, if it was in fact ISIS. Everyone thinks it's ISIS. It seems like it's ISIS. Are they now moving beyond just a, sort of, regional threat to now being truly an international terrorist organization?

MOORE: Yes.

VAUSE: And why is that important?

MOORE: They have always been -- they have always been more than a regional...

VAUSE: Right.

MOORE: ...group, because they -- their reach is big, and that's the point they're making.

VAUSE: In the past it seems that they wanted territory. They wanted territory in Syria and Iraq, maybe Libya, you know. They wanted to establish in the region.

They weren't really interested in the big Al-Qaeda event of going out to the U.S. or the western targets. It seemed to me like they wanted territory. But now, they seem to be sort of reaching into other international areas.

SESAY: And is that because they've been contained on the battlefield?

VAUSE: Yeah.

SESAY: Is that why we're seeing this shift?

MOORE: I think what they were doing is not looking so much for land, but looking for a home base from which to launch these attacks. And if we missed the point that they were coming up with a -- with a homeland of their own from which to launch these attacks, then we brought part of this on ourselves.

We have to know that this was just a launching pad that they were -- that they were obtaining.

VAUSE: No one cared about Afghanistan before 911. MOORE: That's right.

VAUSE: Yes.

SESAY: Do you see -- with -- if this was, indeed, ISIS -- if it was, indeed, ISIS and they are moving into this area of the international arena -- international terrorism arena -- the choice of targets...

Do they matter in the sense that they're looking for iconic strikes, or for -- in the case of ISIS do we believe that if they're moving in this direction, it's just about making a splash. So it becomes more about the soft targets as opposed to the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.

MOORE: Over and over, I have seen terrorists groups trying to make the biggest symbolic attack that they can, balancing it against their chances of success.

So, yes, they would love to hit the Louvre, but if they believe that their chance of a body count is very minimal, then they're going to hit a Cambodian cafe. They want bodies first. They want symbolism second.

SESAY: Frightening.

VAUSE: I know we are out of time. We've been asking since 911, why do they hate us? And I don't think we've ever answered it yet. I'd like someone to tell me that. But anyway...

MOORE: Me, too.

VAUSE: Yeah. Thanks, Steve.

SESAY: Steve Moore, appreciate the insight.

MOORE: Thank you.

SESAY: Thank you.

VAUSE: A short break. When we come back our breaking news continues here. We will have -- we'll hear more from a shaken French president, horrified at what has unfolded in his nation's capital.

SESAY: We'll also hear from people who were inside France's national stadium. They describe the moment when the crowd first heard the blast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Hello everyone. It is just after 8:00 a.m. Saturday in Paris, where people are facing a city torn apart after a series of terror attacks, and the threat may not be over.

At least 153 people were killed in shooting, explosions, and suicide bombings at six locations across the city. At this hour France is under a state of emergency and security is heightened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I've spoken to Prime Minister and the elected members, the mayor of Paris, the -- in order to measure this tragedy -- this abomination -- in several places -- the capital -- who tried to kill as many people as possible.

I'm expressing myself, my horror of the dead, and express my compassion to the families of those who've been struck by this. France, which is determined and united, and which will not be stopped with this emotion regards to the drama and this tragedy of the population.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Isha, he's visibly shaken - French President Francois Hollande, there. Now the most devastating attack was an ambush at a concert hall filled with rock fans. At least 112 people died there when gunmen opened fire.

Police later stormed the building and brought out about 100 hostages. Paris prosecutors says eight terrorist in all are dead, but more may have been involved.

SESAY: Well, joining us now by phone from Paris, is Geraldine Schwarz, a journalist with the French daily newspaper, Le Monde. Geraldine, thank you so much for joining us at such a difficult time for France and for residents in particular. What is like to be in Paris right now? Can you describe the mood for us?

GERALDINE SCHWARZ, LE MONDE JOURNALIST: Well, I think this morning many Parisians were waking up hoping they'd just had a terrible nightmare. But the truth is that life has deeply changed here since yesterday night.

It's the first time that since the bomber parades in France, and it was not a specific target like against Charlie Hebdo last year. But the purpose was to show that from now on everybody -- each of us -- can at any time and any place be killed in an attack.

VAUSE: Sadly, Geraldine, it was not a nightmare. It was all very real, and 153 people are dead. Being -- you know, living there in France, what do you think will the reaction be now from French officials?

Are you expecting some kind of big crackdown? After Charlie Hebdo there were those sweeping surveillance laws which were put into place. Are you expecting to see more of the same? More police? More army on the streets? More -- higher security? What's your instinct telling you?

SCHWARZ: Well, of course. I mean, everything has changed. For example, this morning -- I mean, normally at this time in Paris you have cars, you have children in the streets.

This morning I went down to get some bread and everything is closed. Yesterday I was in my flat, which is basically in the middle of all the attacks, and we were, you know -- we couldn't go out.

And I was hearing all the gunfire -- shots -- from my home. Everybody was, you know, at the window just wondering if we are at war. And actually it's, you know -- it's the sentence which we heard yesterday at the mosque was we are at war.

You have to understand this district, which is -- which was under gunfire yesterday, is the district -- it's the most popular district in Paris where people go out.

You have restaurants. You have bars. You have all the young people on a Friday night after one working week just trying to relax -- to have a drink. It's totally crowded and a couple of terrorists just went down from the streets and shot randomly on people sitting on terraces.

VAUSE: Geraldine, you said it's like a war. Geraldine, you said it's like a war. Do you think France is now at war with whoever carried this out? And I suppose it's likely ISIS or some other Islamic terrorist group.

SCHWARZ: Well, it is a little bit too early to, you know, to make statements about that. The terrorists yesterday were very young -- very, very young. I mean, the witness said. They had these amazing war weapons (inaudible), so they are, of course, exploited.

But we didn't know where it comes from, because it could also just a decision of young people from the suburbs trying, you know, to get some attention. So as far as now, it's not very clear. It's very easy in France to get fire guns.

SESAY: And Geraldine, in the aftermath of those horrible Charlie Hebdo attacks back in January, we saw France come together as one. We saw a united nation. Do you think we're going to see that again this time?

SCHWARZ: Yes. Well, I think it has -- maybe it has already started. It's -- in Paris, for sure, everybody is calling everybody just keeping contact. All the social networks there are, you know, supporting messages.

So I think there will be, of course, this weekend, or the latest next week some, you know, some big meeting to show that Parisians will not accept to change their everyday lives because of a couple of young fanatic terrorists.

SESAY: Geraldine Schwarz, we thank you for joining us and just giving us some sense of the feeling in Paris the day after these horrific attacks. We thank you for your time, and really, our thoughts are with you and the people of France.

And at this point, Geraldine Schwarz, a journalist with the French daily newspaper, Le Monde, thanks so much.

Well, a Paris journalist inside the Bataclan Concert Hall describe it as 10 horrific moments as gunmen opened fire. Concertgoers were watching an American rock band perform when terrorists stormed the building.

The journalist says two attackers were calm, determined, and firing randomly. They killed at least 112 people before the siege came to end.

VAUSE: Four attackers died when police raided that concert hall. In all, about 100 hostages were brought outside.

SESAY: At France's national stadium outside Paris, fans were cheering at a soccer match between Germany and France until this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE SPOKEN)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And that was the sound of two of the three blasts that went off near the stadium. A source told CNN at least one them appears to have been a suicide bombing. It took fans a while to actually figure out exactly what was happening.

SESAY: Well the French president was among those soccer fans. He was evacuated from the stadium.

VAUSE: The sports network, ESPN, reports that the players were not informed about what was happening until the end of the game. Fans learned some details through social media, and witnesses say there was a lot of confusion -- a lot of chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): There was confusion. We heard two explosions. But at the beginning I thought that they were agriculture 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 agriculture bombs. But then there were rumors. We heard about a shooting. There was a lot of confusion inside the stadium. A very frightening crowd crush happened, with people on the ground.

Everybody started to panic. It all happened quickly, and now it's impossible to go back home. The trains are packed. There are people everywhere. It's quite stressful, and it's a big mess in Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Just incredible. Well, one witness to the attack says his cell phone actually saved his life.

VAUSE: Now this man, who's going by the name Sylvestry, says his phone blocked shrapnel as he crossed the street near the Star de France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (UNIDENTIFIED MALE): The time he took to hung up, I was cross the street and straight-away, boom. It exploded right in front 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 VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A short break now here on our continuing coverage. And when we come back, we'll take a look at the six sites that were attacked, and where they are in relation to each other, and in Paris.

SESAY: And as France ramps up security at its borders and inside the capital, we'll have the latest on the string of shootings and bombings. You're watching CNN.

Hello everyone. Welcome back to our live, continuing, breaking news coverage of the deadly Paris terror attack. I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles.

VAUSE: And I'm John Vause. It is just after 8:30 on a Saturday morning in Paris, and this is a live look right now outside the Bataclan Concert Hall in Paris. At least 112 people were killed there on Friday night when gunmen started shooting during a packed performance.

SESAY: That was just one of six frightening scenes played out across the French capital. At least 153 people are dead from the highly- coordinated attack, unlike anything this city has ever seen before.

VAUSE: Residents of Paris are being asked to stay indoors, and the country is under a state of emergency. Authorities say eight attackers are dead. It's unclear how many were involved in total. So far, no claim of responsibility.

SESAY: So, six attacks -- six coordinated attacks. We want to give you a sense of exactly where all of this happened in Paris.

VAUSE: Here's CNNs Tom Foreman, with an overview.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All of these attacks took place north of the traditional tourist areas in Paris, along the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame -- that sort of thing. And the first one over here -- 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-sized 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. 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 Petite Cambodge. This is a popular restaurant in the area. It is in some tourist guidebooks. It is 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 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. Eighty thousand 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.

SESAY: Our thanks to Tom Foreman for that. All of France is under a state of emergency while the hunt for those responsible remains underway.

VAUSE: Authorities say eight attackers are dead. Seven blew themselves up. Unclear how many people were actually involved. There has been no official claim of responsibility with the question of whether more attackers remain at large.

The whole country has beefed up security quite a bit. An extra 1,500 soldiers are being deployed throughout Paris.

SESAY: Well, let's go to Paris now, and our CNN international correspondence Frederik Pleitgen joins us now. And Fred, you are there on the streets right outside the Bataclan Theater where 112 people lost their lives. What can you tell us about what's happening behind you?

PLEITGEN: Well, the investigation is going on in full swing behind me. As you can see, the area is widely cordoned off. There's actually two security cordons of -- in front of that Bataclan Theater, and inside we still do see law enforcement officials sort of going in and out of the building.

It's unclear how much of the site they would've cleared at this point in time. Certainly the investigation has been going on all night. And it is, of course, one that is very urgent. And one of the things that many people are asking is, is there some sort of a wider terror ring involved in all of this. When you look at, for instance, the sophistication with which this was carried out, the fact that you had multiple attacks that almost -- that happened almost at the same time. And then also, not too close to each other.

You had the ones that happened in central Paris, and then you also had the ones that happened inside Saint Denis. You take a look at the kind of weapons that were involved. You have the AK-47 assault rifles which certainly isn't something that's easily available here.

And certainly something that security forces here would try to keep track of. And in that fact that seven of the eight who were killed did, in fact, have suicide vests on them, and managed to detonate them.

That certainly leads many people here -- at least the ones -- regular folks here -- to believe that possibly there could be more to something -- to this than just regular people from the streets -- criminals.

So this is certainly something where people are saying that, you know, they feel fairly unsafe at this point in time. And it's interesting -- we've been skimming through the morning papers and there's one that caught our eyes.

It's the Le Parisien newspaper, which says cette fois-ci est la guerre, which means this time it is war. And that's certainly the indications that you get when you listen, for instance, to the statements from the French president, who of course was very shaken -- visibly shaken by what happened.

But at the same time vowed that there would be decisive and a very harsh response, and one without mercy.

VAUSE: And, Fred, clear something up for us if you can. I don't know if you have an answer to this, but some of our guests have been saying that it is pretty easy to actually get an AK-47 there if you know where to go in Paris. Some people say it's very difficult. So, what's your take?

PLEITGEN: We have been -- we actually looked into all that when we were covering the Charlie Hebdo killings that happened here in Paris. And if you remember, on the heels of the Charlie Hebdo killings there was also an attack that was thwarted in Belgium, as well.

We managed to speak to some -- to some senior Belgian intelligence officials, and they told us that it is possible to get AK-47s, and that they were trying to clamp down on AK-47s and other sort of assault rifles that sort of usually come from war zones, being available.

It's certainly -- probably, it has gotten more difficult since then. You would think that the law enforcement authorities here would have tried to clamp down on these weapons. But certainly the gist that we were getting at the time -- and this was more from Belgian authorities than French ones -- was that it is possible to get these weapons. And also, that a fair number of these weapons are actually around -- are actually in Europe, dating all the way back -- some of them to the Balkan wars when a lot of weapons were imported into Europe, of course, on the black market.

So there are varying takes on this, but certainly it is something that where in the past, as we've been covering the Charlie Hebdo killings, we were told that it is possible to acquire these kinds of weapons.

And it's clear that this is something that these people managed to do without being detected by law enforcement authorities. And if we look, also, back to the Charlie Hebdo killings again, the people there who conducted those were also armed with assault rifles.

So clearly it is a problem that the authorities here have identified, and they need to try to come to terms with.

VAUSE: I knew you'd have an answer for us Fred. Thank you. Fred Pleitgen there, live this hour in Paris with the very latest.

SESAY: Thank you, Fred. Well, much more on the unprecedented attacks in France is still to come. We've seen the deadliest assault on a concert hall with at least 112 people killed. Up next a report from a CNN producer which describes the scene outside the Bataclan Theater.

VAUSE: Also ahead, the U.S. President calls the attack outrageous, and he promises to give the people of France whatever help they need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Welcome back to our live, continuing coverage of the horrifying attacks in and around Paris. Coordinated gunfire and bomb blasts have shook France and the world. Let's bring you up to speed.

VAUSE: Attackers have killed at least 153 people with AK-47s, as well as explosive vests. The Paris prosecutor says eight attackers are dead. Seven of them blew themselves up. Another was shot by police.

SESAY: Take a look at footage from outside one of the six locations hit in this terror attack. A concert hall, the Bataclan Theater, had the biggest death toll. At least 112 people died there.

VAUSE: A journalist attending a rock concert there told CNN the terrorists shot up the crowd for up to 15 minutes. Here are some more witness accounts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): After two hours, we heard names and first name. It was the SWAT team or something. The cops -- and they asked us to get out with our hands up to move out those who were wounded. And we went out. They protected us. It was a blood bath. It was a slaughter. Dead people everyone.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): There were blasts coming from everywhere. We tried escaping, and then we ended up in front of the guy and he didn't shoot us. So, yeah, we could escape.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Over and over again we've heard words of blood bath, carnage, utter chaos.

VAUSE: War zone.

SESAY: War zone.

VAUSE: Yeah.

SESAY: Well, Pierre Buet is a CNN producer in Paris covering this unprecedented attack. He spoke to our own Don Lemon about the chaos he witnessed.

PIERRE BUET, CNN PRODUCER: Earlier, the scene was one of a war zone -- one of a -- central Paris -- very, very, very known district with a lot of young people going out. And it was turned into a war zone for a few hours.

There were armored vehicles, about 200-300 police, heavily -- heavily armed police tactical teams taking up positions. The atmosphere was very, very tense, and then every few minutes or so we could hear shouts, screams -- scream -- horrified screams coming from inside the theater. And then, as the hostages were evacuated, from outside the theater.

VAUSE: So talk to -- so talk to us about the hostages who were brought out. What were their conditions?

BUET: I would say that they were in a state of a -- in a state of -- they were horrified, blatantly, by what they had just seen. Some of them were holding their heads. Some of them were completely disoriented.

Some of them were just being held by police -- just accompanied out of the -- of the -- of the nightclub. And just trying to -- trying to get a grip, really.

VAUSE: Were they -- you said that they were holding their heads. Were they saying anything?

BUET: I couldn't hear any words because I wasn't that close. I was about 30 to 40 yards just in front of the entrance of the Bataclan nightclub. I could hear screams though. I could hear a few -- a few quite horrifying scream.

VAUSE: And it was chaos I would imagine, because this theater holds about 1,500 people. That is a pretty big crowd.

BUET: A lot of people, thankfully -- thanks to the work of the police forces, a lot of people managed to get out. There was the -- the first assault just through the front gates of the nightclub just about an hour in -- after the beginning of the standoff. And a few hundred -- a few hundred hostages were evacuated at this

point. And then, later -- about 20 minutes later, 20 or so and then 50 or so hostages were taken out -- evacuated of the nightclub.

VAUSE: So far, no claim of responsibility, but a witness has told Radio France some of the attackers at the concert hall were shouting Allahu Akbar, which is Arabic for God is great. They were yelling this as they fired.

SESAY: Yeah. CNN intelligence and security analyst Bob Baer says nearly all signs point to ISIS.

BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: Why hasn't the Islamic state claimed credit? It looks like one of their attacks. It has all the hallmarks, mass casualties, coordinated. The mention of Syria, of course. But, you know, these people don't have a playbook, you know.

And these things -- there's so many of them. I wouldn't say they're spontaneous, but they're lone wolf groups who wouldn't necessarily think about the propaganda, other than the attack itself.

I think what we're seeing in the Islamic State is a lot of small franchises. Even the attack on the Russian airplane was a franchise. Or the attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday. So, I don't -- I don't think we should make too much of it.

It's -- they all share the same objective, which is to attack the west, you know, in reprisal for what's happening in Syria against the Islamic State and Iraq, and the rest of -- this is a sectarian war. And it is far flung, and it's very difficult to, you know -- there's no beheading this movement.

We could take Raqqa today, and what I could predict with absolute certainty, there'd be more violence from groups like this.

VAUSE: Bob, let's talk about the attack itself. Six or seven locations, automatic weapons, hostage taking, suicide vests, automatic weapons. You don't learn that online, do you?

BAER: No, you don't. You know, I've heard people commenting on this. I mean, I used to run these groups. I used to do lethal operations for the CIA. And getting seven -- seven, you know, disparate groups -- unconnected, coordinated, attacking at the same time in that operational window, you know.

Able to reload. Unintimidated by the police and, you know, these people have some sort of training. You're absolutely right, John. You don't get this on the internet. And I don't really care what the French dig up afterwards, these people knew what they were doing.

VAUSE: Bob Baer, there -- being just a short time ago. Bob, of course, was a former CIA operator for war-torn Middle East, so clearly he's got a lot of experience and knows what he's talking about. Okay, world leaders are expressing shock and anger, as well as sadness, at the attacks. SESAY: U.S. President Barack Obama called it not just an attack on Paris or the people of France, but on all of humanity and the universal values we share.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is a heartbreaking situation. And, obviously, those of us here in the United States know what it's like. We've gone through these kinds of episodes ourselves, and whenever these kinds of attacks happened we've always been able to count on the French people to stand with us.

They have been an extraordinary counterterrorism partner, and we intend to be there with them in that same fashion.

VAUSE: An American government official says there is no credible or specific threat to the United States. But some big U.S. cities are stepping up security out of an abundance of caution.

The New York police department is sending armed officers to locations linked to France, such as right there at the French Consulate.

SESAY: There'll be extra patrols at nightclubs, theaters, and museums in Manhattan over the weekend. And right here in Los Angeles, where we are, police say they've beefed up security at airports and other high-profile locations.

VAUSE: Other world leaders have quickly condemned the attacks. They did this on social media. The British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted out, I am shocked by the events in Paris tonight. Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden -- our hearts are with Paris tonight as we learn more about these tragic attacks. We stand together. We will never bow, we will never break.

SESAY: The United Nations posted this message -- Ban Ki-moon condemns despicable terrorist attacks in Paris. Demands immediate release of those held hostage.

The German Foreign Office tweeted -- Chancellor Merkel deeply shocked by attacks in Paris. Have conveyed our sympathy, plus solidarity.

VAUSE: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton -- the reports from Paris are harrowing. Praying for the city and the families of the victims.

And NATOs secretary general also released a statement saying, "I'm deeply shocked by the horrific terrorist attacks across Paris tonight. We stand strong and united in the fight against terrorism. Terrorism will never defeat democracy."

SESAY: And Russian President Vladimir Putin has also condemned the attacks and offered assistance into the investigation. Well, terrorist massacre in the heart of Paris -- that's the headline of one newspaper just released this Saturday morning in the French capital.

After the break, a look at how the country is responding to the wave of terror. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. You're watching CNNs live, breaking news coverage all around the world. And we are covering the wave of terror attacks which have left the French capital in a state of shock, and the country under a state of emergency.

SESAY: Coordinated bomb blasts and gunfire in six locations throughout Paris have claimed the lives of at least 153 people.

VAUSE: Though the deputy mayor warns the death toll rise significantly, the epicenter of the carnage is the Bataclan Theater. A witness inside the concert hall tells CNN the gunmen shot at the crowd for up to 15 minutes.

SESAY: Security has now been ramped up at France's borders and inside the capital. Authorities still don't know if there are more suspects at large. There has been no official claim of responsibility.

VAUSE: Right now on Twitter pray for Paris is the top hashtag worldwide.

SESAY: And looking our Twitter heat map, you can see that the prayers are coming in from every continent. About 3,000 tweets a minute are using that hashtag, many people saying they're heartbroken for France, and thinking of the victims and their families.

VAUSE: A moment of solidarity among a sea of tragedy, all caught on camera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(French National Anthem)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, the words of the French National Anthem, I must say, echo through the Stade de France as fans were evacuated.

VAUSE: At least three explosions took place near the stadium, killing four people. And there was a sad, symbolic sight overnight in the French capital. A capital city which is also known as the city of light.

SESAY: The Eiffel Tower went dark to honor the victims of the Paris terror attacks. One by one, each section of the tower faded to black. The legendary tower also went dark after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January.

Well, thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM Live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. VAUSE: And I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. George Howell and Amara Walker will bring you the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. More coverage of the Paris attacks after a short break. You're watching CNN Live all around the world.