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France -and the world- still in shock after Islamist attacks kill 129 in Paris

The bloodshed came as France, a founder member of the U.S.-led coalition waging air strikes against Islamic State, was already on high alert for terrorist attacks, raising questions about how such a complex conspiracy could go undetected. It was the worst such attack in Europe since the Madrid train bombings of 2004, in which Islamists killed 191 people.

French prosecutors said on Saturday that three coordinated teams of gunmen and suicide bombers carried out a wave of attacks across Paris that killed 129 people in what President Francois Hollande called an “act of war” by Islamic State.

According to Reuters, Hollande declared a state of emergency, ordering police and troops into the streets, and set three days of official mourning as a stunned nation sought to comprehend the simultaneous assault on restaurants, a concert hall and the national soccer stadium on a busy Friday evening.

As a cross-border investigation gathered pace, prosecutors said the slaughter – claimed by Islamic State as revenge for French military action in Syria and Iraq – appeared to involve a multinational team with links to the Middle East, Belgium and possibly Germany as well as home-grown French roots.

Ominously, Greek officials said one and perhaps two of the assailants had passed through Greece from Turkey alongside Syrian refugees fleeing violence in their homeland.

In coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies, U.S. Justice Department attorneys are working with French authorities to obtain further information that may be relevant to the Paris attacks, a Justice Department official said on Saturday.

The worst carnage was unleashed as three gunmen systematically killed at least 89 people at a rock concert by an American band at the Bataclan theater before detonating explosive belts as anti-terrorist commandos launched an assault, officials said.

Some 40 more people were killed in five other attacks in the Paris region, including a double suicide bombing outside the Stade de France stadium, where Hollande and the German foreign minister were watching a soccer international. By Saturday night, 99 people were still in critical condition.

The bloodshed came as France, a founder member of the U.S.-led coalition waging air strikes against Islamic State, was already on high alert for terrorist attacks, raising questions about how such a complex conspiracy could go undetected.

It was the worst such attack in Europe since the Madrid train bombings of 2004, in which Islamists killed 191 people.

Hollande said the attacks had been organized from abroad by Islamic State, with internal help.

Three people were arrested in Belgium as part of an anti-terrorism probe centered on a Belgian hired car found near the site of one of the Paris attacks, Belgian prosecutors said. It was one of two vehicles used in a string of attacks in central Paris within the space of less than an hour.

Sources close to the inquiry said one of the dead gunmen was French with ties to Islamist militants and had been under surveillance by the security services. French media said the man’s brother and father had been were arrested on Saturday

A man arrested in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria this month after guns and explosives were found in his car may also be linked to the Paris attacks, Bavaria’s state premier said.

The holder of a Syrian passport found near the body of one of the suicide bombers outside the soccer stadium passed though the Greek island of Leros in October, a Greek minister said.

A Greek police source said the man had arrived in Leros with 69 refugees, where he was registered and had his fingerprints taken. Police declined to give his name. A Greek government source later said that a second suspected Paris attacker was also very likely to have passed through Greece.

UNWTO strongly condemns the attacks in Paris
UNWTO is deeply shocked by the tragic attacks perpetrated in Paris. On the behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and to the French people in this difficult moment.

“On the behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and expresses its full solidarity with the people and the Government of France” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “We are facing a global threat and this is not an attack on France, it is an attack against us all” he added.

GBTA Statement on the Paris Attacks
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) today issued a statement in response to the Paris attacks and pledged to work with governments, private industry and business travelers to ensure the future safety and security of the global travel system.

“The terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of more than a 120 innocent people and injured scores more are not just an assault on Paris, but on our modern way of life,” said Christle Johnson, President of GBTA. “On behalf of the Global Business Travel Association, let me express our deepest sympathies to the French people and to those directly affected by the attacks. We stand with the people of France today. French President François Hollande, understandably, has closed the borders of France, declared a state of emergency, and called for three days of mourning. As a result a number of travelers are stranded in France. As a strong and unified business travel industry, we will do everything we can to provide resources to these travelers in this time of need.”

“Over the next days and weeks, we will learn more about how these terrible attacks were planned and executed,” said Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO of GBTA. “GBTA stands ready to work with governments, private industry and business travelers to do everything within our power to ensure the future safety and security of our global travel system.”

ACTE Executive Director: “Travel Managers Respond To Paris Terror Event With Duty Of Care Programmes — Not Panic!”
In the aftermath of the worst terrorist activity to strike the French capital in 70 years, hundreds of business travel managers worldwide activated “duty of care disaster plans,” locating travelers, assuring they were safe, and providing assistance for those who needed to be evacuated or moved. According to Greeley Koch, executive director for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, the same programmes will allow for a more careful analysis of the situation, eliminating mass cancelations of trips to France.

“Sadly, we’ve been through this before in Paris, as well as Mumbai and other places. Most business travel managers have an emergency contingency plan they can activate right away,” said Koch. “A certain percentage of companies will automatically cancel trips to a city in crisis and evacuate their travellers quickly. Others will evaluate the impact of the crisis and act accordingly after ascertaining the safety of their travellers.. Some companies are requiring senior level management approval to travel into a current crisis area, while others are leaving the issue to traveller discretion.”

Greeley Koch is opening ACTE’s Global Travel Conference in Montreal this week. “There is a natural heaviness as I approach this conference,” said Koch. “The ties between Montreal and France span centuries and ACTE just held one of its global travel conferences in Paris three weeks ago… We will exchange condolences and solidarity… And we have to learn from this. We have to look to the future… And make the future safe for travellers and all.”

Photo caption: French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency, ordering police and troops into the streets (Reuters).

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Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.

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