tonight, on a special breaking news edition of "20/20," paris, under attack. all eyes now on the bataclan concert hall. a massive siege now over, police hostages. police say, nearly 200 dead, two attackers dead. new details on the other locations around the city, targeted in highly-planned attacks. a paris restaurant, s.w.a.t. snipers poised to shoot.

and a game in progress as bombs explode. tonight, france under a state of emergency. the borders sealed. >> i'm david muir. as we come on the air, a live shot of paris, what remains an ongoing situation. >> and i'm elizabeth vargas. the world trade center in new york city, the site of the worst terrorist attack on american soil, in solidarity tonight with the french. bathed in the colors of the french flag. blue, white, and red. >> and as the portrait of this terror begins to emerge, we'll jump into the latest details. at least 153 people believed dead, all attackers believed ed d dead.

allahu akbar, and at least one yelling syria. >> and confrontations taking place in six different locations. an unbelievably coordinated planned attack. no one has yet claimed responsibility, but this comes after a two-week period where isis has claimed responsibility for the bomb on the russian plane two weeks ago and the attack in lebanon yesterday which killed 43. >> and president obama saying we're in solidarity with the french. but we begin with what one eyewitness called a horror movie that would not stop. paris. some heading to dinner, or a

but then, paris under siege. the first attack reportedly occurs at a popular french restaurant, with live jazz music. gunmen opening fire with automatic weapons, reportedly killing 40 people. and across town, the soccer game between france and germany under way. the stadium was packed. the president of france also there. then, 16 minutes into the first half, an explosion. so loud, it stops players in their tracks. a stadium announcer tells to crowd to avoid certain exits due to events outside. explosions. you may be aware, at soccer games, sometimes there are fireworks that are loud.

but are not dangerous. this time around, the explosion was so loud, we thought something probably happened. >> reporter: the french president stunned, his hand to his face. he's evacuated to safety. and police later find one of the explosions was carried out by a suicide bomber. and a little bit over five miles away, the bataclan concert hall, the american band eagles of death ma etal performing. a brother of one of the band mates speaking out tonight. >> he said they were playing about six songs into the show, and they heard before they saw gunfire. the band. >> reporter: and according to

what a witness tells french tv, a gunman could be heard shouting allahu akbar. then, president obama addresses the nation. >> france is our oldest ally. the french people have stood shoulder to shoulder with us time and time again. and we stand with them. >> reporter: and explosions heard outside the concert hall. french police troops have started to storm the theater. and then, reports the siege is over. at least 100 people killed according to tv reports. three terrorists confirmed dead. and we now now, there were at city of paris. and one of them, a restaurant

>> a crowded restaurant. and joining us, charlotte brejo. and 14 people killed, it was a small, packed restaurant. what did you see, where were you sitting? >> i sat right against the windows, so next to the street where the gunmen came towards. i was sat with one friend, and we immediately heard loud gunshots. everybody dropped to the floor, it felt like it wasn't happening, it didn't feel real. i'm shocked to hear how many are dead, because i wasn't really aware that people had, so many people had been fatally wounded. the first realization i had, i was holding on to a woman and asking if she was okay. holding her hand. and i realized she wasn't

breathing, or struggling to breathe. and when i felt safe enough to look up, i realized there was a pool of blood surrounding her. i thought she had been shot in the chest. and it was really awful. really awful. >> an awful scene.@ we're glad you described it. you say they were driving by as they opened fire on the small restaurant? >> i wasn't aware that they were driving by, but they didn't come into the restaurant. they were just outside. it didn't seem like they stopped and went to reload their guns, and there was another round. so, it was slightly delayed. but they didn't come in. >> and at that point, when they stopped to reload, did people

were you stunned into silence and paralysis at that point? >> yeah, absolutely, it was paralysis. and i think people were so confused, almost waiting for somebody to give some kind of directive, but nobody did. it was such bewilderment, such a relaxed restaurant, no one was expecting it, and no one knew what to do. so, it was just horrific and shocking. >> and we know the president of france has asked families across france to stay indoors. all public buildings will be closed beginning tomorrow for the foreseeable future. what is it like looking out your window tonight? a stunned community across paris? >> yes. i mean, all night, i haven't slept, just been listening to

ambulances driving around. i only live 15 minutes from the restaurant and concert hall. i'm in the thick of it. and i imagine everybody is feeling the same, and the feeling i felt, i feel it's similar to the atmosphere that was in paris in january during the "charlie hebdo" attacks. just people feeling scared and unsure, and yeah, it's just strange. >> and how did you get out of there and then what did you see? >> well, my first priority was my friend. i couldn't see him, he was under the table. i was worried he had been shot. get up. i felt like they had gone, and i was just going with my instinct. and it was luckily the right decision.

i said get up and go, just run. and because i live close, we just ran straight to my house. to go. but like i said, everyone was stunned, frozen on the floor. no one wanted to move, because people were scared, thought something else may happen. >> an astonishingly frightening evening for you. thank you for joining us. and 14 dead in the restaurant where she was dining. but the most casualties were in a concert hall, the concert had just begun when gunshots rang out. with the capacity of 1,500 people.

they had just heard automatic gunfire. >> the eagles of death metal were playing at the bataclan. hundreds of fans had gathered when suddenly, three or four gunmen stormed in and started shooting into the crowd. >> he said they were playing about six songs into the show. heard automatic machine gunfire, louder than the band. and they all hit the stage floor, they saw men with guns just kind of shooting at anything, and everything. there was a door, back of the stage. that led to a street. and they fled out the back door. >> reporter: witnesses reporting the shooting continued for ten some escape ing as the gunmen

started to reload. >> then the shots kept continuing, and i saw people starting to panic. people were running away. and i could see from where i was, from the balcony, downstairs, where the shots had come from. i couldn't see anything, i just heard the shots. and people on the balcony started panicking. that's when i ducked, went behind the seats. and i took my friend's hand, and we made our way to an exit. >> reporter: while many escaped, others were trapped behind, held hostage. >> at the time they started killing individuals, and you know they're killing individuals, you must go in. >> reporter: fbi hostage negotiator, aaron sanchez. >> you try to think how many

will be threatened. >> reporter: just before midnight, french forces overpowered the gunmen. but not before at least 100 members of the audience were killed. and three of the terrorist, prepared to die tonight. people who were on the scene called it a blood bath, looked like a war zone. and the decision to go in, they were sure the terrorists were ready to kill. we need to go in and save as many as we can. >> and we've reported many times on these situations. it's a real struggle, based on the fact that people could lose their lives.

you're okay. can you describe the aftermath inside the concert hall? >> all i can say is that i was there when it started. concert. because the eagles of death metal are a band i really like. and i was there with a friend, concert. then all of a sudden, this huge shootout started. it was a high-pitched shootout. myself, never being in a shootout in my life, i thought it was a joke. i thought the band was playing a joke on us, and i didn't believe it at first. but then i saw people screaming, and i was on the first floor of the venue. i wasn't down at the bottom. so, i heard all the shots and they were consistent. they were a lot of shots, and didn't stop. and that's when i realized,

with my friend, i took her hand, we ducked, hid behind the seats, and managed to, you know, slip away through the safety exit that was near to where we were. there was a panic. but we managed to escape in the street. but there were people wounded, blood, and people had, you know, bullet wounds in their legs. it was, it wasn't nice. >> we heard one eyewitness in the theater with you in the concert hall with you, describe how the gunmen were going down and executing people one by one. did you see anything like that? >> no, that's what's keeping me awake. it's 4:00 a.m. in paris, and i feel so strange because the

panic, i just heard. i didn't see the people. i just heard these consistent gunshots, which were kalashnikovs, like bang, bang, bang. >> so, no break to reload? >> yes, they kept firing. it was obvious, we were in the first floor, the balcony. and it was obvious they were underneath. and i said to my friend, what the hell is that? and she said, i don't know. and we didn't take it seriously. but everybody started panicking, and we realized it was serious, and those shooters were actually, you know, coming up to the first floor as well.

you know, the universe was in my favor. i managed to escape without being harmed. and i crossed paths with wounded people, a girl with a bullet wound in her thigh. it was horrible. >> and there have been reports that the gunman, the attackers were shouting as they were inside the concert hall. i'm curious, did you hear them shouting anything? we haven't seen any images from inside the theater, nor do we want to. but do you know how many people they had been able to get to? >> i don't think anybody was filming, nobody wants to film that. i didn't hear anything, because i was on the first floor. i didn't hear anything, i didn't hear anything, nothing.

nothing like that. all i know is that people were firing guns, and we had to get out. >> and was it pan de demonium to get out? >> well, people were crying, but it wasn't like people were getting trampled. i didn't feel trampled or squashed. i just made my way to the safety exit, which i saw, when i was there. and we were all going down the staircase to get out. and at one point, the people down towards the doors, they stopped them for a while, saying they were there. and they opened them like a minute later, and everybody ran out in a panic. we all ran out in different directions.

>> and you know that several people were held hostage, you got out. >> i know, and people held hostage were people i knew. the person i was with was a friend, and she works in the music industry. and her friends are the people that work there. since escape ing, we've had messages and e-mails and facebook messages from people trapped in the -- oh, i can't find the word in english. the place where you get changed. >> dressing rooms. >> exactly. >> thank you for joining us. what a frightening ordeal. and we want to apologize for some of the colorful language she used. she was obviously in a

>> and we understand why she's still up at 4:00 a.m. paris time. i can't imagine anyone in that city sleeping right now. and i want to bring in louise dewase right now. you heard the explosions, and intelligence officials telling us the s.w.a.t. teams knew they had to get in there. >> reporter: that's correct. i heard about 12 loud bangs. shortly after, ambulances rushing towards the theater. i was able to follow some of them and i could see firefighters evacuating people from the second floor, taking them to this makeshift hospital in a cafe nearby. and i saw people coming out,

their t-shirts, many on the phone, probably calling real ing ing relatives. and a sense of tragedy here on the streets of paris tonight. >> and we can see the police presence. you've been held back quite a ways earlier. have you been allowed to get any closer? and have you had any information about what remains inside the concert hall? do we know anything about the people who were targeted inside? >> well, following the terrorist attacks on the "charlie hebdo" magazine in january, police are extremely careful. and they've closed the entire neighborhood, and no one is allowed to get any closer to the theater. no information at this stage on what is happening right now. we did see, however, some buses

early on taking all the people that had been evacuated to a nearby hospital to be taken care of over there. but definitely, a lot of activity on the streets tonight. >> and hospital workers across paris called in to work. the metro, the paris train, closed down. the whole city shut down for the next several days. >> all public gatherings, closed. france. a state of emergency has been de declare declared. and we're joined by pierre thomas, who's been working his sources all evening. give us the latest. >> tonight, law enforcement has begun the hunt for clues.

the question tonight, who did it? on the short list, al qaeda and isis. just last january, there was a spree of terror in france. two brothers forcing their way into the offices of "charlie hebdo" in paris. and al qaeda, claiming responsibility for the assault, saying that one of the brothers had received training from them. and another man, killed after police stormed a supermarket. his partner, believed to have fled to syria. >> this is very similar to attacks in the fast from al qaeda and isis.

was either an al qaeda affiliate or isis. >> reporter: and most recently fixaten d on blowing up commercial airplanes. and al qaeda has been working on a so-called undetectable bomb. but authorities don't believe their blood lust is confined to just aviation. remember the attack in 2008? a series of attacks over a series of nightmarish hours. but isis, consuming huge swaths of land, forming the so-called islamic state.

more than 1,500 french citizens affiliated with isis, a quarter of the european total. this past july, this video threatening that the group will bring slaughter to france. many first came to the country following the colonial wars of independent in the countries of algeria and tunisia. in 1961, the french police shot and killed some 200 pro-algerian demonstrators. today, the suburbs of paris have

hot beds of unrest. >> and individuals come ing and assimilating into the french culture. >> department 93, a large group that feels cut off from french society. and 60% estimated of prisoners are affiliated. >> one of the challenges that crimes. >> u.s. officials have been concerned about al qaeda bombers, isis, and so-called lone wolves. the pressure incredible, as they scenarios. >> and joined by brian ross.

the attacks, al qaeda, isis. what are your sources telling us? >> well, the main focus is isis. more than 1,000 sympathizers. and just a wealth of people who would be available. and recently, threats from isis in social media to bring slaughter to the streets of paris. >> and what do you make of the reports that some were yelling syria in the theater? >> well, they have the dna and fingerprints of the attackers. so, we'll know much more tomorrow. >> and the threat and fear here in america. the so-called soft targets, that that's the fear here in america.

here, and rich, talk about the sophistication of the attack. what it took to almost simultaneously have six attacks go under way in paris tonight. >> a complicated attack, because they had to do five or six different targets at more or less the same time. indicating a group with training, possibly people returning from fighting in syria. they look like they have had training to be able to pull off this kind of simultaneous, complex attack in the heart of a major city. >> probably four, maybe five of the terrorists killed so far. how many people do you think were involved in this?

>> probably not many more than this. the mumbai attack in india, a handful of people staged this kind of running attack, and then ending up at one venue, where they took hostages for their last stand. that was not al qaeda, it was a pakistani group. but this has been well learned and practiced by isis in syria and iraq. and the french didn't see it coming. only way you can stop these attacks on soft targets, know it's coming and arrest people before they do it. if the french didn't have any indication the attack was about to happen, that's very disturbing, because it means we may be in the same situation. we know who the suspects are,

>> and that's the frightening part. these are soft targets. unless you catch them before, you i want to bring in martha raddatz. this seems like isis fighting, but these groups may be now competing with one another for global attention. >> it almost seems that way. al qaeda hasn't been in the news as much. and they want to get back. they want to make a big splash. so, they're looking at all these possibilities. i do think someone shouting syria is possibly a very big clue. france, like the u.s., has been targeting isis in syria.

some clue, because isis would have motive here. >> and that was an american band on stage from california. we know a relative of one of the band members told our affiliate wsb, he learned his loved one and the band is safe. they were able to get out of a back door. >> they had a stage door there, they could tell what was going on in that concert hall. they turned and ran. and that's very good for them, because they are the lucky ones. we've already heard how many people died in that concert hall, at least 100, they're saying, within that hall itself. >> and talking about that concert hall, i'd like to bring in brad garrett, formerly with the fbi. and brad, talk us through the decision by french s.w.a.t. teams to storm this hall when

they did. they had terrorists inside, armed to the hilt. killing people. and more than 100 hostages. when do you decide when to go? what's the calculation there? >> it's all based when you have enough information about what you're walking into. you don't want to walk into a trap. so, i think they had enough time to interview people that had escaped from the theater. what did you see? did you see explosives? were they rigging doors? all these questions. while those debriefs are going s getting cameras and mikes in there. in.

they're going to blow themselves up or stay in there. once you get that information, explosions. those are flash bangs, the key of it is to disorient the bad guys. then you have time to draw a bead and shoot somebody. >> an excruciate ing decision. and john cohen, a lot of people want to know about football games this weekend. we've already learned about heightened concern over soft targets in all of our communities. >> fbi and dhs have already provided information to state and local authorities. but they won't wait, they're

going to be assessing what events, what security needs are necessary within their own communities. the public should expect heightened security, and in big cities, i think the police presence will be significant. >> and it's worth noting that u.s. intelligence officials saying tonight, absolutely no chatter pointing to any attack in paris. off-guard. >> and i want to show you an stadium. all the soccer fans, spontaneously beginning to sing the french national anthem. a lot more as we continue our coverage here.

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italics test text1 plain and we're live now, back on the air, "20/20" with live coverage of the attacks in paris, terrorist attacks making it a city under siege. six different attacks. we're getting reports at least 153 people reported dead. and all the attackers involved are believed dead. four of them, inside the concert hall. >> and three dying by suicide belt, which was one of the biggest fears. as we know, paris is set to host

the climate conference in a couple weeks. and the real fear, those soft targets. >> and no hint of any chatter of an attack in paris. tonight, in new york city, the world trade center one, bathed in blue, white, and red, in hon who hon honor of the french. and joining us now, new york city mayor bill de blasio. good evening, mr. mayor. >> good evening. we definitely are on high alert in new york city. and we have our counterterrorism officials out in key locations, making sure there's real presence in key areas tonight to

city. >> and i know one of the real concerns is the chatter. we rely so much on intelligence. brian ross reporting earlier, in france, there are many isis sympathizers they're tracking, france. the concern here in america and in a city the size of new york city, that we have the intelligence before they can pull off an attack. >> we know it's a real challenge. we're very confident in the intelligence gathering capacity of the nypd. and i can tell you there are many situations where we've been able to get ahead of situations. that capacity has worked to date. and we've had over 1,500

if we, god forbid, have one, we can get them in place immediately. bottom line is, in general, we have seen that there's some kind of prior indication. but we're living in an age of lone wolf attacks. with no warning. so, responding immediately is a key part of our strategy. >> and soft targets were attacked with great efficiency tonight. how do you protect all those soft targets, the football games and concerts taking place every place in this country? >> in our case, there will certainly be substantial security at key places in the city. and a lot of preventive things happen all over the city. since 9/11, for 14 years, we've

vigilance and continued to build our counterterrorist capacity. and key places will have additional coverage, and the ability to respond quickly, we have officers ready to deploy with training to address it. that's the model we need to depend on. and in a number of cases, we'll catch them and stop them, but if you're going to be in an age where some things aren't seen in time, or when lone wolves are acting, the ability with quick, well-trained response, is important. >> and what do you say to folks watching tonight, that may be feeling uneasy, worrying it's just a matter of time?

the country as well. and does it keep you up at night? >> it's something that worries me every day. but i also know, the track record of the country and the nypd over 14 years has been extraordinary. identifying threats, and stopping them before they can be achieved. constantly working to improve our capacity. i think there are many rsons to be confident in the security capacity of the city and the nation. but we have to be vigilant, recognize any suspicious activity. if you see something, say something. that phrase takes on a lot of meaning, and we have a chance to stop attacks if our citizens are able to report to the police things they see. tonight, it's a night to think of the people of paris, who have gone through so much.

i was there in the aftermath of the january attacks. paris tonight. but we need to support the police and give them information promptly. >> thank you, mayor de blasio. and president obama saying we stand with france. and it's nice to see one world trade in the colors of the french people. and here's more of the latest scenes from paris tonight.

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some that escaped the terror, saying they can not sleep. and the so-called soft targets, not the battlefield. concerts, restaurants, where they simply drove by and began to attack people. and a look at the soft targets, here's martha raddatz. >> reporter: this is the nightmare scenario, terrorists going after the soft targets. and tonight, playing into everyone's fears, the sporting event, theater, or restaurant. tonight, the united states standing in solidarity with its ally ies allies. all across the country, cities in high alert. the new york police department working overtime. >> that's what you'll see in new

deployment of critical response vehicles. to locations not only to add security, but to raise the comfort level. >> reporter: it's a show of force at new york's most visible targets. the statue of liberty, and times square. >> the reality is, there are a lot more sensitive locations than resources to cover them. >> reporter: and that's arguably what the terrorists are counting on. and now, in light of the attacks in paris, especially the one near the soccer stadium, sports venues are taking proactive measures this weekend. meanwhile, the nba and nhl, warning all teams and arenas to be extra vigilant. but the nfl isn't beefing up security.

at a heightened state of alert, said a spokesperson. pointing out they're already equipped with metal detectors. and metlife stadium is prepared, but all of them might not been. >> metal detectors are used in some places. i believe there's an effort to have it done in all major league venues, but i don't believe yet. >> reporter: but targets like shopping malls are vulnerable. remember this siege in kenya. >> i think they knew they had a soft target, they knew the quickly. >> reporter: a quiet night in

a lone security guard patrolling. people catching a movie or a late dinner. at this subway stop, no sign of increased security. >> it's horrifying. reminds me of, you know, the "charlie hebdo" thing. and things we have no control over. >> it was an attack on humanity. and that's scary. >> there are bad people in the world. i'm not sure we can stop all of them. we can try, but there will be attacks like this. they're random, isolated, 8 million people are in new york. you can't keep an eye on all of them. >> reporter: this woman is a tourist visiting new york from san francisco. >> the parks are so busy during

those games. moved? and if i move, i can't get to work easily. opinion. >> reporter: and jay johnson says tonight, dhs and the fbi paris. but he says we know of no specific or creditable threats on the united states tonight. of course, there were no threats on paris either. these are the kinds of attacks not only hard to detect, but very hard to stop. >> indeed. and you were talking about the resignation resignation, people saying we can't protect ourselves. and 73% of americans saying, it's likely there will be a terrorist attack coming in the future that will cause the loss

when you hear people in new york city talking about this, resigned, how do we stop it? we can't change the way we live, right? >> you can't change the way we live. but looking at the attacks since 9/11, they're negligible. nothing close to what we saw in paris. >> and we thought there was a big number of attackers, because of the scope of it. it's actually shrunk down. >> you can see the amount of mayhem done by a small amount of people. and the mumbai attack, just ten attackers attackers, over 400 people killed or wounded. this looks like five or six killing 200 people. so, you get to the final

ak-47s, killing lots of individuals. >> and you were telling us during the break, it would appear that the french police should be applauded for responding very quickly. but there was almost no chatter, if any. how can we be sure that we're monitoring them all? >> with great difficulty. you do the best you can. and i think law enforcement in good job. but it's been said so many times, they only have to be right once, we have to be right all the time. >> much more ahead, but we'll take a break to preview what's

back now or "20/20," our live coverage of paris under attack. scott. it was stunning to see, france and germany, this giant rivalry. and you see here, the moment, the bomb explosion outside. people looking at one another, looking at each other in disbelief. andy, where were you? >> i was in the stadium, in the press box of the enormous stadium. a capacity of 80,000, on the

explosions could be heard about five minutes apart. it was pretty clear very quickly that the explosions were not anything normal. but things carried on until the end of the game. it took a long time for things to be clear, just how serious it was. >> and it only took a matter of moments for the world to see, president hollande with his hand to his face. how long before it people had a true grasp of what was unfolding through the city? >> within the stadium, it took a long time. when you have so many people in such a small space, sometimes the telephone networks don't work. so, communication can be complicate complicated. so, 20, 30 minutes after the explosions during the game, i

was able to make a couple of calls, and it began to emerge. and i'm sure this was the case for many in the stadium, events were occurring across the city as well. and it's important to underline the fact that the game continued until the finish. and general atmosphere remained calm, no mass panic. there was some confusion at the end of the match, when they tried to, when people were leaving the stadium, and clearly blocked a number of the exits for obvious reasons, because there had been explosions outside the grounds. so there was less space for people to leave the stadium, so there were a lot of people on the pitch, and some confusion. so, people were realizing what

but the stadium is about five miles north of the center of the city. despite that, the trains and metro and so on was running normally. things carried on. but it was confusing and a low on. >> and the spectators coming on to the soccer field, was that an effort to get down to safety and security because no one knew what was going on? >> i think it's very easy to look at the images and come to the conclusion that things were disorganized, but it's more of a realization that so many people trying to leave the stadium, you're going to get a situation where too many people were trying to leave.

things to calm down. people were standing, being calm on the pitch, just waiting for things to clear up in terms of the number of people. it wasn't, it would be wrong to describe it as an evacuation panic. just a case of a large number of people trying to leave via a smaller number of exits. >> all right. andy scott. thank you for joining us tonight for a summary of what happened in the other attack tonight. >> the bravery of so many eyewitnesses tonight. >> and one more development, seven of the terrorists killed themselves with suicide vests out of the eight that died. and now, your local news coming

up with much more on this. nightline later, and for elizabeth vargas and all of us here at abc news. i'm david muir. have a good evening. >> i was enjoying the concert, and the band was in the middle of a song, and all of a sudden, we heard shots. >> nobody can justify what they did. >> it feels like a never ending