UPDATE | President Hollande: France will be merciless to those behind attacks

PARIS (AP)

President Francois Hollande says France will be “merciless” against those behind the deadliest attacks in the country in decades.

Visiting a popular music venue where more than 100 people were killed in eastern Paris, Hollande called the attacks “abomination” and “barbarism.”

He called on the French to remain united. “We will lead the fight. We will be merciless.”

He praised all the emergency workers offering to help throughout the long, emotional night.

It is unclear how many attackers were involved in the seven attacks, or whether any are still at large. No one has claimed responsibility.

US Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, tells The Associated Press he was not aware of any chatter pointing to the Paris attacks ahead of time.

Schiff says it is unclear who was responsible for the attacks, but says the Islamic State group and al-Qaida are “distinct possibilities” — with the Islamic State more likely.

The California congressman says investigators would scour any electronic devices that they managed to recover from the gunmen. He says it is possible but not definite that some of the attackers would be known to French law enforcement — as was the case with the Charlie Hebdo attack in January.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is calling the attacks in Paris “an assault on our common human dignity.”

The Pentagon chief says “the United States stands with the people of France and its vibrant, multicultural democracy.”

He is praising France as a NATO ally and a leader of the coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Syria.

U2 has postponed its Saturday night concert in Paris in light of the deadly attacks across the city Friday night.

Instead, the band says in a statement that it is resolved to go ahead with the concert “at an appropriate time.”

U2 members say they watched in shock and disbelief at the unfolding events and were devastated by the loss of life at the concert held by Eagles of Death Metal, one of several sites in the city that was violently attacked.

U2 members say: “We hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe.”

HBO had planned to televise the band’s performance. It says it will replace the planned show with the film “Jersey Boys.”

Just hours ago, the Paris police prefect said the attackers at the Bataclan rock venue blew themselves up with suicide belts as police closed in. He said the gunmen first sprayed cafes outside the venue with machine gunfire, then went inside the concert hall and killed more before the assaullt by security forces.

The prefect, Michel Cadot, said the one set of attackers was at the stadium and at nearly the same time the second group attacked within the city.

Cadot said all the attackers are believed dead, although authorities are hunting for any possible accomplices.

Police in the U.S. capital have sent extra officers to the French Embassy and other France-related sites and high-profile locations after the attacks in Paris.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release Friday night that the moves were being made out of an abundance of caution and that there is no imminent threat to the District.

The department says Chief Cathy Lanier has been in contact with federal and regional law enforcement officials since the attacks began.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who was in Paris when the attacks took place, says he is suspending the broadcast of an event he was holding there.

“Out of solidarity with the French people and the City of Paris, we have decided to suspend our broadcast of 24 Hours of Reality and Live Earth. Our thoughts are with all who have been affected and the entire nation of France. We send our condolences to the families of those who have been killed or injured.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York is constantly on alert for coordinated terror attacks, especially in the wake of an attack in Paris that has killed dozens.

De Blasio said in an interview with WABC-TV tonight the attack was not only sobering, but a reminder that police officials need to be prepared and vigilant for a possible follow-up attack.

Police have stressed there is “no indication that the attack has any nexus to New York City.”

Officers have been deployed to various locations in the city, including French government buildings. Heavily armed officers stood outside of the French Consulate in Manhattan as passers-by brought flowers.

Massachusetts State Police say they’re increasing security around the area of the State House following the deadly Paris attacks.

In addition, State Police said they are monitoring intelligence at Logan International Airport in Boston.

State Police troop commanders also are directing on-duty troopers to have a heightened awareness of potential suspicious activity within their patrol areas.

State Police acted as attackers killed at least 100 people in a popular Paris concert hall. It was one of at least six terror attacks across the city in the deadliest violence Paris has seen since World War II.

In expressions of support, the One World Trade Center spire is lit blue, white and red in honor of dozens killed in the Paris attack, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the 408-foot (125-meter)spire will continue to be illuminated in the days to come. The governor says the act shows New York will stand with the people of France.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is describing the attacks in Paris as “heinous, evil” and “vile,” calling them “an assault on our common humanity.”

Kerry says the U.S. embassy in Paris is “making every effort to account for the welfare of American citizens in the city.”

The State Department says U.S. citizens can contact 1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S.) or 202-501-4444 (from other countries) for assistance.

Kerry says the U.S. stands ready “to provide whatever support the French government may require.”

Kerry was speaking from Vienna, where he is scheduled to attend talks Saturday on the crisis in Syria.

Vice President Joe Biden calls the attacks “heartbreaking” and “outrageous” and says, “Such savagery can never threaten who we are.”

Tens of thousands of people join the football players at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires in offering tribute to the dead and wounded in Paris before the start of a World Cup qualifying match between Argentina and Brazil.

With players standing on the field tonight, the crowd in the stands fell silent for a minute in acknowledging the bloodshed in the French capital. Some applauded as the tribute ended.

The Paris hospital service says medical personnel are reporting for work of their own accord to help treat the injured in the multiple attacks in the city tonight, and that others were being called in as part of a plan to deal with emergencies.

Among those called in minutes after the first reports went out was Patrick Pelloux, an emergency room doctor and former writer for Charlie Hebdo. Pelloux was also among the first to see the aftermath of the Jan. 7 attacks.

At least 100 died in a concert hall where attackers seized hostages today, an official said. At least five other terror attacks unfolded across the city in the deadliest violence Paris has seen since World War II.

French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced that he was closing the country’s borders. The violence spread fear through the city and exceeded the horrors of the Charlie Hebdo carnage just 10 months ago.

Paris police officials said security officials had launched an assault on the concert hall, killing at least two attackers. One described “carnage” inside the building, saying the attackers tossed explosives at the hostages.

In addition to the deaths at the concert hall, a police official said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement and other officials said at least three people died when bombs went off outside a stadium.

All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named in the quickly moving investigation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, and no clear picture of how many attackers were involved and if any were on the run. Jihadists on Twitter immediately praised the attack and criticized France’s military operations against Islamic State extremists.

Hollande, who had to be evacuated from the stadium when the bombs went off outside, said in a televised address that the nation would stand firm and united.

“This is a terrible ordeal that again assails us,” he said. “We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are.”

U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking to reporters in Washington, called the attacks on Paris “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians” and vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

The series of attacks gripped the city in fear and recalled the horrors of the Charlie Hebdo carnage just 10 months ago.

The two explosions heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris came during a France-Germany friendly football match.

A police official confirmed one explosion in a bar near the stadium.

An Associated Press reporter in the stadium Friday night heard two explosions loud enough to penetrate the sounds of cheering fans. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead. Hollande, who was in the stadium, was evacuated and immediately held an emergency meeting.

The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks.

Emilioi Macchio, from Ravenna, Italy, was at the Carillon bar near the restaurant that was targeted, having a beer on the sidewalk, when the shooting started. He said he didn’t see any gunmen or victims, but hid behind a corner, then ran away.

“It sounded like fireworks,” he said.

France has been on edge since deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in January on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery that left 20 dead, including the three attackers.

The restaurant targeted Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices, as is the Bataclan, among the best-known venues in eastern Paris, near the trendy Oberkampf area known for a vibrant nightlife. The band Eagles of Death Metal was scheduled to play there Friday night.

The January attacks on Charlie Hebdo came after the newspaper caricatured the Prophet Muhammad. The attackers claimed links to extremists in Yemen, while the kosher market attacker claimed ties to the Islamic State group.

The country has seen several smaller-scale attacks or attempts since, including an incident on a high-speed train in August in which American travelers thwarted an attempted attack by a heavily armed man.

France’s military is bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq and fighting extremists in Africa, and extremist groups have frequently threatened France in the past.

French authorities are particularly concerned about the threat from hundreds of French Islamic radicals who have travelled to Syria and returned home with skills to stage violence.