Dozens of people died inside the Bataclan concert hall during Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, France when terrorists strapped with explosives and armed with guns stormed the hall and began shooting.
The attack was part of a series of synchronized attacks terrorized Paris Friday evening with most of the carnage occurring inside the popular concert hall. Here’s what we know.
9:40 p.m. local time
At about 9:40 p.m. local time, police said three men emerged from a black Volkswagen that was parked outside of the Bataclan concert hall. Playing for a packed venue, American rock band, Eagles of Death Metal, were on stage and about a half-hour into their set when the three men entered the building, opening fire.
The attackers, armed with heavy weaponry and fitted with explosives devices, went unnoticed for a short time as they opened fire. Loud music presumably drowned out the initial sounds of gunfire.
Video from inside the Bataclan shows the band stop mid-song as loud gunfire is heard in the background. The band’s drummer is seen crouching behind his drum kit while others flee the stage.
VIDEO: Footage captures moment gunshots heard at Bataclan, band flees stage
“They were not stopping. Refueling their guns, they were reloading their guns. They were heavily armed.” Julien Pearce, who survived the attack on the concert hall, told NBC News. “What struck me when I looked to one of the terrorists was how young he was.”
Attackers were “calm” and “determined”
Concert goers were seen fleeing the hall, stepping over bodies as they tried to escape through the front entrance. Witness said the attackers made mentions of Iraq and Syria and shouted “Allahu akbar.”
The three men took close to a hundred people hostage during the two-hour ordeal.
“There was blood everywhere, corpses everywhere. We heard screaming. Everyone was trying to flee,” Pierre Janaszak told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
WATCH: Concert-goers escape from the Bataclan after gunmen attack the concert hall.
Pearce described the attackers as “calm” and “determined” as they sprayed bullets into the panicked crowed.
Video shows the desperation of the concert goers as several people are seen hanging from second-floor windows, trying to flee the concert hall.
“They are hiding in some kind of room in the dark and they text(ed) 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,” Pearce recalled.
Police storm concert hall
Heavily armed officers stormed the Bataclan just before midnight. Paris officials said an officer shot one of the gunmen and the attacker’s suicide vest detonated. The other two attackers self-detonated their explosive devices.
WATCH: French security forces raid the Bataclan
“I heard them trying to negotiate with the police out the window,” Janaszak told AFP. “I clearly heard them say to the hostages, ‘It’s Hollande’s fault, it’s your president’s fault, he doesn’t have to intervene in Syria.’”
“Then we heard shooting when the police intervened. There was shooting in all directions, there were more explosions.”
At 12:20 a.m. the siege was over.
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