UPDATED: Dozens taken hostage at Eagles Of Death Metal show amid larger violence in Paris

By Katie Rife  |  November 14, 2015 | 6:01pm
Aux Features Music

You may have heard that the city of Paris is on lockdown right now after a series of attacks at venues throughout the city, including an explosion at a stadium during the France-Germany soccer match. Things are still pretty chaotic—even The New York Times appears to be getting conflicting reports—but several, including one from Al Jazeera English, say that French police are currently at the scene of one of the attacks, a hostage situation near the Bataclan concert hall in the city. The French newspaper Liberation says that a “big bang” and about 20 shots were heard near the venue, and the Associated Press adds that 15 people were killed and 100 have been taken hostage. Eagles Of Death Metal were booked to play a show at the Bataclan tonight, with pictures from what appears to be a normal rock show appearing on Instagram up to about an hour ago.

At least 128* people are currently believed to have been killed in the attacks, although that number will almost certainly go up. We’ll update this story as more information comes in.

UPDATE: Alternative Press has received a report saying that Eagles Of Death Metal’s Eden Galindo was not hurt in the attack. (Josh Homme was not on this leg of the tour.) The rest of the band also made it out okay, according to a post on Facebook by the band Red Lemons quoted by Brooklyn Vegan:

Pour rassurer les personnes qui nous savaient au concert des Eagles of death metal au bataclan, il y a eu un attentat, nous allons bien.

For our american and english friends, a terrorist attack happened at the Eagles of death metal concert. We are safe. Mikel Ross, Eric McFadden we were with your mates Jesse, Tuesday, the other musicians outside, they’re safe too, they took a cab.

Fuck…

The fate of the hostages remains uncertain.

UPDATE, 5:18 PM CT: France 24 International cites first-person social media reports from inside the Bataclan saying that, while there are survivors, gunmen are actively shooting down hostages. Several posters are reportedly pleading with police to storm the venue, and gunshots have been heard inside the venue from the street. According to The Guardian, a Europe 1 journalist who was inside the venue when the attack occurred reports that shooters opened fire on the crowd with kalashnikov rifles.

UPDATE, 5:38 PM CT: Police have apparently stormed the Bataclan concert hall to find many dead. One eyewitness says “there was blood absolutely everywhere.” The Guardian has more disturbing reports from eyewitnesses on the scene for those who want to read more.

UPDATE, 6:13 PM CT: The Associated Press (via The Guardian) is reporting that French police killed at least two attackers in their assault on the Bataclan. Officials went on to say that the attackers appear to have lobbed explosives at hostages as well as gunfire, and the number of dead in the incident is expected to rise.

UPDATE, 6:34 PM CT: According to French news sources, the operation in the Bataclan now appears to be over. The Associated Press is reporting that French police officials have told them that at least 100 people have been killed in the venue, independent of the death toll from the other attacks that struck Paris today.

UPDATE, 7:37 PM CT: CNN is now reporting that as many as 158 people have been killed in the attacks, including those who died at the Bataclan concert hall. Numbers for the attack on the hall continue to fluctuate, but are somewhere on the order of 110 to 120 people. Multiple sources are also reporting that at least five attackers have now been neutralized, including the two gunmen who opened fire at the Bataclan.

UPDATE, 12:01 PM CT: The morning after the attacks, the BBC is reporting that 128 people are believed to have died across Paris. The news outlet also reports that the militant group known as the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Previous reports that a member of Eagles Of Death Metal was among those killed at the Bataclan don’t appear to have been true. The Washington Post is reporting that all of the members of the band escaped the concert venue unharmed.

*Number updated

 
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