Paris, AFP, 14 November 2015 – French President Francois Hollande on Saturday said attacks across Paris that killed 127 people were committed by ISIS, describing them as “an act of war.”
“The attacks were planned and organized from abroad with help from inside France,” he said, adding that he would address parliament in extraordinary meeting on Monday.
Hollande declared three days of national mourning following the deadly attacks.
He called the three-day observance after what he called acts of “absolute barbarity.”
Meanwhile, public demonstrations will be banned in Paris and the surrounding area until Thursday.
City authorities cannot “provide security for specific marches or gatherings” in the wake of Friday’s attacks that killed at least 128 people and wounded more than 250, many of them seriously, Paris police chief Michel Cadot said in a statement.
Earlier, Hollande and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama vowed to reinforce their counter-terrorism cooperation following the attacks in Paris, according to a White House statement.
“The President reiterated the United States’ steadfast, unwavering support for the people of France, our oldest ally and friend, and reaffirmed the offer of any necessary support to the French investigation,” the statement said, after the pair had spoken on the phone.
“The two leaders pledged to work together, and with nations around the world, to defeat the scourge of terrorism.”
“Barack Obama wanted to express his support to the French people in the face of this terrible tragedy,” said a source close to the French presidency.
“They reaffirmed their commitment to working closely in the fight against terrorism.”
Infographic: Mapping the Paris attacks
