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France Under a State of Emergency. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired November 14, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:01:34] AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. And welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. You are watching breaking news coverage of the terror attacks in France. I'm Amara Walker.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN HOST: And I'm George Howell.

It is 11:00 a.m. in France. And the entire country is under a state of emergency. We are getting new death toll numbers from Paris as well from authorities, 128 people were killed in half a dozen highly coordinated terror attacks. A police spokesperson says 180 people were wounded. Just a few moments ago, the French president spoke to the nation. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRANCE'S PRESIDENT (through translator): It's an act of war that has been declared. Planned from the outside in which an inquiry will make it possible to establish. This is an act of barbarity. At this moment, 127 people have died, and there have been numerous wounded. Families are in grief and distress. The country is in pain. I have made a decree for national mourning for three days. All measures to protect our citizens and territory in the framework of state of emergency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And you're taking a live look now. This is outside the Bataclan concert hall. The worst site -- the site of the worst carnage. And you see there, a pretty large police presence. Dozens were killed when gunmen started shooting inside the packed venue.

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

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

WALKER: Three explosions in total were heard outside of Stade de France. That's where the French president was among thousands of spectators at a football match between France and Germany. At least four people died outside the stadium. HOWELL: The president was evacuated but the sports network, ESPN,

reports fans were initially told to avoid certain stadium exits because of outside events. They weren't told just exactly what was going on in the city. One eyewitness says he was in awe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through 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. There was a lot of confusion inside the stadium a very frightening crowd crush happened with people on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Meanwhile, Parisians are being asked to stay indoors. Although, some are determined to not let terror win and opened their market stalls this morning.

We are live in Paris this hour. Senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is standing by live.

And Fred, if you could just set the scene for us this morning. Obviously, this is a country still reeling from the shock and also the grief.

[05:05:12] FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Reeling from the shock, reeling from the grief, Amara, but also asking a lot of questions, as well. There are certainly are a lot of people who are quite concerned about the situation, who wonder how a plot that appears to be so sophisticated could have happened without any of the intelligence services here or security services finding out about it beforehand.

I mean, we're talking about attacks that appear to be coordinated at six different sites as the prosecutor has already said using assault rifles, also with seven of the eight attackers who were killed having suicide belts that they actually managed to detonate. That does seem to indicate to many people here that there was some sort of coordination and certainly some sort of planning.

And quite frankly, many people are also asking whether this is really the end of it or whether there might still be other people within some network that might be behind all this, other attackers that might have gotten away. So there are still a lot of questions that people are asking.

At the same time, of course, people are quite concerned about the situation, about the safety here. We heard from Francois Hollande just a couple of minutes ago saying that additional unit of the military and of the security forces had been deployed to beef up security here in Paris and other locations, as well. But as you've said, many people are defying the fear, coming out here to a location we are in, as well, and saying they will not be intimidated by terrorists.

WALKER: And Fred, in the meantime, we have been hearing some really and truly horrifying accounts from people who were held hostage inside the Bataclan concert hall. And you talked to one man.

PLEITGEN: I did talk to one man. We were standing out here and doing our live reports earlier today. A man, (INAUDIBLE), came here. And it turns out that he was inside that venue as it was being raided. He said at the beginning, he didn't really understand that this was a terrorist attack unfolding. Let's listen in to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the Bataclan for the concert of Eagles of Death Metal. And around 10:00, I heard some noises. And I felt like there was something that is dangerous. I just ran to little room. I was upstairs. The -- it was crowded downstairs, and I just was with several people get inside the small room, and we waited inside the small room until the policemen came.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: When the policemen came, what but see as you left that building?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they told us not to look around but the feeling was like a bloody mess. There was blood everywhere (INAUDIBLE) covered with blood. So the policemen made us go out, and we went to some yard, to the place which was safe and we waited. And then there was a kind of solidarity. And one of the people living in this yard proposed me to sleep for the night. And then this morning, I went and saw the police to give what I heard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: And how do you feel that Paris has been attacked today? And how do you feel yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I feel -- I think I'm still in shock. There was some psychological. And so, right now I'm going to see my family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: When you leave, when you left, what kind of feelings did you have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inside it was -- we tried doing three hours not make noise which was the -- not to make noise which was very difficult because we could hear the sound of the machine guns like we were very close, like the walls were shaking. And that made us -- some girls were very scared. We tried to make them calm down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How many were there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were like 15 people inside a small little room. There was some water. The water was going down. Maybe something had been broken down. So I was staying there for three hours. And then we were in the dark, and when then we wanted people -- they said not to look around, just keep straight.

[05:10:29] UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: When did you realize that police were in the building? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard them, but we were not sure -- I don't

know like there was this -- that this was safe. We wait while police were searching and we were assured that it was safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Then you left the building, what did you see?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was upstairs so the policemen were telling us how to go. And there was especially on the ground floor a lot of dead bodies and blood. And some people had been well alive and had to stay for several hours among dead corps and they went out covered with blood. I think I was lucky to be upstairs. Most of the shooting was downstairs because the place was really crowded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the policemen were still trying to make the place safe. So we were working very close to the wall, and we went to (INAUDIBLE). I didn't think. I just followed the instructions. I was just listening because before the events came, I was dancing. So I just left. When I got out (INAUDIBLE). Then there was solidarity like trying to get some clothes --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How did you realize this was a terror attack, and how are you feeling now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm still in shock. So if there is some few days after some things, there's that psychology hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Sir, I can imagine -- it was a concert, it was very loud. When did you realize that this was a terror attack?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Because it was at the end of a tune there was like -- I thought it was a joke at first. But then there was something, I don't know, it's difficult to explain something not natural. So I just left all of my things and tried to get somewhere where I could wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: I imagine it must have scary. I mean, to hear all of that going on outside --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Especially the first hour because we didn't see anything, but we could hear very precisely the sounds of the machine guns. They were very loud like the walls other -- where we were kind of shaking. I think this is one of the reasons why the water began to flow on the floor. So - and there were some women inside, and they were panicking so we tried say, OK and try to keep still, take your time. And we wait and try not to make any noise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: And did the attackers say anything? Did you hear them anywhere?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. It was amid sounds of shooting. It was really loud the first hour. Then there was less sounds. (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Thank you very much. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: So as you can hear, there must have a lot of confusion, a lot of fear, a lot of despair. And those horrible, as he described, several hours that these people were holed up in the tiny room hoping that that siege, that that attack would end and that they would get out of all of that alive.

WALKER: It really is incredible to hear him and just play by play describe you know what happened and his perspective, and the sound of the guns. And it's astounding to, you know, understand the types of weapons that were used in these attacks, sending suicide belts along with these military-grade weapons.

This investigation, we still don't know, you know, if there are more attackers that were able to get away. We don't know if, you know, these attackers were linked to any particular group. But also investigators are going to be looking into how they obtained these kinds of weapons.

[05:15:26] PLEITGEN: Yes, certainly. I mean, that certainly is going to be one of the main things in this investigation is how the weapons were obtained. I mean, it's also one of the things that we have to keep in mind. We have seen at various occasions throughout the course of the year. If you recall recently that incident on board a French train when those three Americans managed to disarm an attacker. That man had a Kalashnikov gun on him.

And if you recall "Charlie Hebdo," those people had AK-47s, as well. There was an incident shortly after "Charlie Hebdo" where which AK-47s were also involved. So it certainly is or will be one of the things that the security services here in France and other countries are going to be looking at to try and get a grip on how many of these weapons are around, how many are available to the kinds of circles that would perpetrator something like that and how these weapons can be brought into the custody of authorities so that they can't cause the kind of harm that they have caused here.

WALKER: Absolutely, Fred Pleitgen. Thank you very much for that live for us there in Paris. And appreciate you bringing us that interview. Thanks.

HOWELL: That interview told the story. I mean, for three hours, you know. These people, they waited in a small room. And they heard the gunshots not knowing whether they would make it out alive.

WALKER: He thought it was a bad joke at first. I mean -- look what it turned out to be.

We are going to take a short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:19:19] WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. The world is shocked after a night of horrors in Paris. France is mourning the dust of at least 128 people. Some victims were outside a soccer game. Others victims just went out for dinner while most of the victims died while attending a rock concert.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

HOWELL: Eight of the attackers are dead. Seven blew themselves up. The French president just declared three days of national mourning.

In the U.K., the British prime minister will hold an emergency cabinet meeting given what happened.

One witness at the epicenter of the terror attack spoke to radio France about the moment the gunmen opened the Bataclan concert hall.

[05:20:03] WALKER: He said the shooters came in firing assault rifles and shooting "Allah Akbar," Arabic for God is great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text): In the middle of the concert, there were guys who arrive and they began to shoot at the entrance. They shot into the center of the crowd while yelling Allah Akbar with scatter guns I think, because they discharged. And after the concert stopped and everyone lay on the ground and they continued to shoot at people.

HOWELL: It was translated there in English, but you can certainly hear the terror in his voice. There were six different targets across that city, all attacked within 30 minutes' time. The level of coordination that we are seeing suggests long-term planning capabilities and command structure.

Let's get now more on the tactics that were used overnight in Paris with our terrorist expert Sajjan Gohel who joins us live from London.

Sajjan, good to have you with us. So again, these targets, they weren't necessarily tourist spots. These were soft targets. What do you make of the targets, why they were chosen?

SAJJAN GOHEL, TERRORISM EXPERT: Well George, the locations were primarily targeted because they were soft, symbolic. But also because there was a large concentration of people whether at the football stadium or the rock concert. And unfortunately, that would mean that an attack would result in a high level of fatalities.

These events were synchronized, well planned which meant that coordination reconnaissance must have weeks in the making if not potentially months. This was something that these individuals had long thought out. And the question remains that was this entirely located within France, or is it a larger international connection directing these individuals.

HOWELL: My colleague, Amara Walker, just asked a very interesting question that I would like to put you to, as well. Just, you know, how did they get these weapons? We are talking AK-47s, we are talking, you know, suicide bombers with explosive belts. Certainly that's part of the investigation. GOHEL: France is part of (INAUDIBLE) which effectively means free

movement of people across various EU borders. And often that means that sometimes things can be concealed and passed through borders from, say, Belgium to France or Germany to France, and weapons in particular have become a major problem with terrorist activity in France especially.

Keep in mind what happened with the "Charlie Hebdo" shootings. And what's happening is also that there's a huge stockpile of weapons in the aftermath of the collapse of Yugoslavia. And a lot of those weapons have been circulating on the black market by criminal enterprise. And they have been found in the hands of extremists including the "Charlie Hebdo" Kouachi brothers who carried out the attack at that newspaper.

HOWELL: So at this point, you know, the borders have been closed. We know that there was a curfew overnight. Something that hasn't been seen really since World War II. Talk to us about how this investigation moves forward? And how do they piece together, you know, as much information as they can, given what we saw overnight? Again, six different targets. A coordinated effort at locations that really aren't, you know, spots that you'd think tourists at. These are every day spots for Parisians.

GOHEL: Very much so. And unfortunately that becomes the primary target for an attack. The last time there was a marauding act of terrorism was the Mumbai siege attacks in 2008 when you had diverse locations being hit such as restaurants, hotels, a Jewish cultural center. Similar to this in the sense that it was in multiple locations. But the aim was to target civilians to create as much damage as possible.

The authorities need to see if there could be follow-up plots, whether there is a larger cell. Individuals who assisted the gunmen on the periphery. Lessons have potentially been learned from the "Charlie Hebdo" shooting carried out by the Kouachi brothers and then the follow-up incidents by Amadi Coulibaly at the kosher supermarket.

But there's a lot more that needs to be discovered. A lot more improvement that's required at a security level. Were there bits of pieces of information of these gunmen? Had they appeared on the French intelligence radar? In the past we have seen failures in French intelligence. I fear that we may see another in this instance.

HOWELL: I want to talk more about French intelligence, just given your expertise in this arena. You know, we have heard many experts say that French intelligence is very solid, very good. But do you get a sense that they will be challenged when it comes to pulling together the pieces in this case?

GOHEL: French intelligence is very good. But more in a post- operation event. They are very good also at dealing with siege situations like hostage taking. But when it comes to preemptive plots, they've had problems. There have been limitations. As I mentioned, the Kouachi brothers who carried out the "Charlie Hebdo" shooting, they were on the radar of the authorities. The plot on the train in August of this year from Brussels to Paris in

which one individual had a large array of weapons but was disarmed by off-duty U.S. service men, again, he was on the radar.

There are too many incidents of people that have been on the knowledge of French intelligence, but there hasn't been any follow-up operations to stop and foil plots. That needs to be looked at urgently. Because this incident has left a very dangerous point of where individuals could carry out follow-up plots, not just in France but elsewhere in Europe. It sets a worrying precedent.

[05:25:40] HOWELL: The French president, Francois Hollande, vowing to be pitiless in comments that he just made a few moments ago in the pursuit of law and pieces of the puzzle to determine who's behind this.

Sajjan Gohel live for us in London. Sajjan, thank you.

GOHEL: Pleasure.

WALKER: Coming up, a night of terror turns into a day of shock and devastation. We will have the latest from Paris next.

HOWELL: Plus, the horrifying moments for scores of people inside a Paris concert hall. One man shares what he saw as gunmen riddled the Bataclan Theater with bullets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:29:42] HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world, I'm George Howell.

WALKER: I'm Amara Walker. Thanks for joining us. Let's update you on the terror attacks in France.

France is under a state of national emergency this hour. Half a dozen coordinated attacks on soft targets across Paris killed at least 128 people.

[05:30:00] HOWELL: I want to give a live look now at the police presence outside the concert hall, site of the deadliest attack. Gunmen using AK-47s and bombs targeted that hall. Also restaurants and areas near the national stadium. Eight attackers died, seven in suicide blasts. No one has yet claimed responsibility. But security experts say signs point to an organized terrorist group.

WALKER: After meeting with his defense council, French president Francois Hollande declared three days of national mourning. He vowed to hunt down the terrorists, calling them barbarians.

HOWELL: In the meantime, border security has been increased. And authorities in Paris are warning residents to stay inside. Fifteen hundred soldiers have been mobilized to help protect the city of Paris.

We want to go live to Paris where senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is standing by for us.

Fred, so we are expecting to hear from the French prosecutor in the coming hours. A news conference about this investigation. But can you tell our viewers where things stand right now?

PLEITGEN: Well, at this point in time, we do already have some information that we got from the prosecutor's office late last night. Them saying that there were at least six targets that were hit or six areas that were hit by these attackers. Of course, most of them in central Paris, but then there were also those bombings that happened outside the Stade de France in (INAUDIBLE), of course, as that football match was going on between Germany and France. That certainly was something that shocked many people, not least of which was of course the president himself, Francois Hollande, who was on hand and needed to be evacuated from that stadium.

The other thing that became clear quite quickly, and the prosecutor was saying that eight attackers had been killed by the authorities here. And that seven of them were wearing suicide vests at the time and apparently were able to detonate those suicide vests.

So the investigation is moving forward. But we haven't heard yet from the prosecutor's office is who they believe might be behind all of this. And that certainly is something very troubling to many citizens here in Paris. They, of course, want to know whether or not those eight attackers who were killed was everyone who was involved in this plot or whether or not there might still be people at large or whether there might be some sort of larger network behind all of this. Of course, that is something that is of the highest priorities of the investigators and, of course, also of the French government, as well.

HOWELL: Fred, I'm still struck by the interview you shared a short time ago about the man inside the concert venue and, you know feared for his life for three hours not knowing whether he would get out alive.

Talk to us about what you are hearing, you know, from people who, you know, might have been in one of these locations and just people on the streets who are reading these headlines, to learn what happened --

PLEITGEN: Yes, there's -- there is a big feeling of uncertainty here among many, especially since they are not really clear on the fact whether or not this is actually over, whether or not there might still be people who are at large.

The other thing, of course, is that there's a lot of people who quite frankly are very angry, George, because this is the second major terror attack here in the city in the course of a few months. The last one was, of course, in January, the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks. And it's certainly something that has really hit the city right in its core.

If you look at the paper, the newspaper headlines, they speak of a massacre right in the heart of Paris. And that man that I spoke to, he said that he was obviously absolutely terrified as all of this was going on. He said he was dancing to the music as the rock concert was going on. All of a sudden, shots were fired. At the beginning, he didn't really know what was going on. Then he realized it was a terror attack and he managed to hunker down with some other people, as you said, for several hours.

But of course, also absolutely terrible -- terrified and also with a feeling of complete vulnerability. Because it was clear to him that at any point in time one of the attackers could pop into the room and kill all of them. He says it was an absolutely horrifying scene as they were finally evacuated from that building. He says he saw many people who were severely wounded, many people who were killed. And that, of course, is something that's traumatized him, that's traumatized anybody else who was inside that building and managed to get out alive and certainly has traumatized the city. Having to deal with the fact that you have these mass casualty events that have taken place here, these terror attacks that appear to be coordinated and happened in various places. And of course, the one that by far, killed most people was the one that took place right behind me at that theater.

HOWELL: Just before the top of the hour, the French president addressed the nation and vowed to be pitiless in the pursuit of law. Also made mention that the military will patrol Paris in the coming days. Is there any reaction from folks of what they've heard?

[05:34:57] PLEITGEN: Well, I mean, they certainly welcome the fact that this is happening. And I think they are quite open to it, as well. And this is not only troops being deployed on the street, but a general reaction to what's going on many levels. We have the increased border controls that people are saying, for instance, at airports. But at other ports, as well.

Also at the borders of the European -- to other European Union countries. Of course, France is (INAUDIBLE) and therefore it shouldn't have border controls to other countries, but right now that is something that is happening. Then you have the increased security presence on the streets. You have 1,500 additional soldiers that were brought in for more security on the streets as the authorities here are trying to show people that they are in control and in command of the situation and that they can keep people here safe.

At the same time, though, they've been saying anybody who doesn't need to go outside shouldn't go outside. But from what I'm seeing here on the streets, it seems as though many people are defying that, sending a clear message saying they are not going to be intimidated by terrorism.

[05:35:55] HOWELL: Fred Pleitgen live for us in Paris. Fred, thank you for your reporting.

We are hearing another story from inside the Bataclan Theater. A Paris journalist Julian Pierce was there during the attack.

WALKER: Yes. He has harrowing account of how he narrowly escaped. Earlier he explained his experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JULIAN PIERCE, SURVIVOR: The show was about to end, the band Eagle with 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 the confusion I can't tell you exactly, but they were holding assault rifles, AK-47s. I'm sure about it. And they were firing randomly into the crowd. And obviously we all lied down on the floor to not get hurt. And it was a huge panic. And the terrorists -- sorry -- shot at us in like 15 minutes. It was like -- it was a bloodbath. They shot at us, and they reloaded again 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 from the climb the scene and to hide behind it. And I tried to help people around me. And it was -- it was shocking. I mean, it was panicking, huge panic. And so shot at us for 10 to 15 minutes. It was long. It was very, very long. And it's not a huge room. It is about 1,000 people can gather in it. But it was overcrowded. I mean, there were no empty rooms. It was sold out basically. It was easy for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Well, the Irish rock band U2 has canceled its show Saturday night in Paris after news of the attacks.

HOWELL: The band released this statement saying quote "we watched in disbelief and shock at the unfolding events in Paris. And our hearts go out to all the victims and families across the city tonight. We hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe," end quote. There's no word yet, though, on when that show might be rescheduled.

A concert hall, a football stadium, we've all been there.

WALKER: But what should have been a fun time ended horrifically for many people in Paris. We are going to ask a terror and security analyst how difficult it is to protect so-called soft targets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:42:28] WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. We have some new information for you. French president Francois Hollande is directly pointing at ISIS for the attacks in Paris, calling it an act of war. And so far, though, there have been no claims of responsibility.

HOWELL: That's right. A national state of emergency is also in place after six bombing and shooting attacks that were carried out in the space of 30 minutes' time on Friday night. And in the meantime, 1,500 soldiers have been mobilized to patrol the streets. It's not completely clear if more suspects may be at large.

WALKER: Let's get more on the challenges posed by this kind of terror attack and how authorities can hope to secure so-called soft targets.

Sajjan Gohel is a terrorism expert and international security director for the Asia-Pacific foundation. He is joining us from London. Great to have you back. I want to first start with these developments

with President Francois Hollande blaming ISIS for these attacks. First off, does it surprise you, and did the attacks bear the hallmarks of something ISIS would do?

GOHEL: Well, clearly President Hollande has access to information that has led him to believe that. Which means that the French authorities are already on the case in ascertaining the culprits and international collections.

In terms of type of attack, this is a departure of the ISIS plots that we have seen in the west. Previously they were targeted assassination going after individuals, not a very sophisticated or coordinated plot, more associated with say Al-Qaeda. But nevertheless, we have seen ISIS issuing messages that they would carry out (INAUDIBLE) type of attack. They have been very active on social media platforms. This has been a type of attack that Europe has been bracing itself, a marauding attack with gunmen roaming the streets. And unfortunately, Europe's nightmares have now been realized.

WALKER: And these types of attacks that are very difficult to prevent, aren't they? I mean, soft targets by definition are unprotected targets. So by nature it would seem extremely challenging to prevent something like this from happening.

GOHEL: Very much so. Soft symbolic targets are difficult for the authorities to protect especially in the case of a marauding attack. The British authorities earlier this year rehearsed a mock marauding attack on the streets of London to try and counter it and how to deal with.

Ultimately, if an attack like this unfolds, there's nothing one can really do at the initial stages. It's the follow-up incidents that are important. But what's equally important is to see whether the gunmen are known to the authorities, whether there's bit of intelligence that could have perhaps been put together and resulted in a plot being foiled or disrupted. That is something the French need to look at very urgently because there have been failures of intelligence in the past such as with the shootings at the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine.

[05:45:16] WALKER: And that really underscores just how challenging it is to keep track of would-be extremists, right? I mean, it's difficult to prevent these gaps in security. So you know, what is the solution here? Because I'm sure French authorities now that Hollande is in point the fingers on ISIS is and the fact that these attacks seemed very well thought out and planned, they are probably, you know, looking at where the gaps were and how it could be prevented.

GOHEL: This attack illustrates a level of synchronization and coordination that we have not seen before with ISIS. It means that they are not raising the stakes in the type of fear factor that they want to perpetrator in western countries. It also means that the authorities are going to have to pay more attention to potential cooperation and collaboration between various potential cells. Are these individuals, people who have been trained in Syria and Iraq by ISIS, or are they inspired by the group, where did they procure their weapons? Are there follow-up plots that could be activated? Is there greater coordination from other individuals that play the role on the periphery?

A lot of different questions are going to come into play. Because we can ill afford another event like this taking place. Unfortunately, these type of incidents are becoming the new normal. And the scars of what took place on the Friday the 13th of November will be long felt.

WALKER: Yes. But you make a good point saying that, you know, questions will be asked about, you know, whether there were any failures in intelligence when it came to this particular series of attacks looking at what happened when "Charlie Hebdo." There is the suspect, the Kouachi brothers. They were known to authorities. And so were the thwarted would-be attacker on the train. He was also known to European intelligence officials. Yet, they were able to obtain weapons and either carry out attacks or attempt to do so.

Sajjan Gohel, great having you. Thanks so much.

GOHEL: Pleasure.

HOWELL: Again, the headline we're hearing this hour, that Francois Hollande, the French president, blaming ISIS for these attacks. We will continue to gather information at a news conference set later there in Paris.

WALKER: U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with French president Francois Hollande just after the attacks.

HOWELL: Mr. Obama said the United States will give France our quote "oldest ally and friend" steadfast, unwavering support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 and Egalite and Fraternite are not only values that the French people care so deeply it, but they are values that we share.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And the reaction from world leaders continued to come in. And the aftermath of the attacks. German chancellor Angela Merkel responded within the past couple of hours. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Iran has also condemned the attacks, and President Hassan Rouhani has postponed a scheduled trip to France. Foreign minister (INAUDIBLE) told Iranian state-run news that it is best now focus on fighting terrorism and that Rouhani will travel to Europe in the future.

HOWELL: British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold an emergency cabinet meeting in the coming hours following the attacks. He tweeted this. 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.

And NATO's sect general also released this statement. Quote "I am 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."

[05:50:07] WALKER: And Russian president Vladimir Putin has also condemned the attacks and offered assistance with the investigation.

Our breaking news coverage of the Paris terror attacks will continue after a short break. We'll have the latest details ahead including how you can help. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:54:15] WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. It is just before noon in France. A day after the worst terror attacks Paris has ever seen.

HOWELL: Police now confirm 128 people were killed Friday at six different locations. French president Francois Hollande directly pointed at ISIS and called it an act of war. He declared three days of mourning.

WALKER: France is under a national state of emergency right now. And the president says the military will be mobilized at the highest levels and will soon be patrolling the streets. Authorities say eight attackers are dead, although it's unclear how many there were in total. So far, no one has claimed responsibility.

HOWELL: Right now on twitter, "pray for Paris" is one of the top hash tags worldwide. And looking at the twitter heat map, you can see that those prayers, they are coming in from every continent.

[05:55:04] WALKER: About 3,500 tweets a minute are using the hashtag, many people saying they are heartbroken for France and thinking of the victims and their families. We also want to show images that people are tweeting. "Pray for

Paris" with the Eiffel Tower in the message is being widely tweeted as is the peace somebody with the Eiffel Tower right in the center there.

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

"Pray for Paris" is not the only sentiment being expressed. There is also "cry for Paris."

WALKER: CNN's impact your world Website has more details on the worldwide response we have seen to the sears of shootings and bombings in the French capital.

HOWELL: And, of course, we will continue to update you with the ways that viewers and readers can help those affected by the attacks. It's all at CNN.com/impact.

We thank you for watching this hour. I'm George Howell.

WALKER: I'm Amara Walker. Our special coverage of the Paris terror attacks continues in a few minutes. Thanks for being with us. Stay with CNN.

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