Aaron Jaffe
Advertising Manager

PARIS, FRANCE- The Paris area has been rocked by mass hostage-taking and explosions happening in multiple locations through out the city. French President, François Hollande, called the event an “unprecedented terrorist attack on France.”

 

All seven Millersville University students currently studying in Paris have been accounted for and are safe. Millersville’s spokesperson, Janet Kacskos, stated, “That is our utmost concern, their safety.”

 

Kevin Lubin, a MU student studying at the American Business School of Paris was at the Paris

Location of explosions in Paris. Photo courtesy of New York Times
Location of hostage-taking and explosions in Paris. Photo courtesy of New York Times

sports stadium, Stade de France, when the grenades starting going off during a Germany-French soccer match.

 

As of now, French news quoted the police as counting the death toll at over 100 people and many more dozen injured.

 

“As I speak, terrorist attacks of an unprecedented scale are taking place in the Paris region,” said President Hollande in a nationally televised address. “There are several dozen dead, lots more wounded, it’s horrific.”

 

Immediately after the first attacks, France called a State of Emergency and closed all borders.

 

A previous Millersville exchange student currently living in Paris has stated the atmosphere as “shocked and crushed. The death toll is dramatic.”

 

Millersville alum and French-native, Marie-Catherine Le Gall, stated that she felt “sadness. Disgust. Heartbroken. Even though I’m not there I feel so much a part of it because it’s my home. The entire country is being targeted and it’s horrible.”

 

Fire brigade members aided a wounded woman near the Bataclan concert hall, one of the sites of the explosions. Photo courtesy of Christian Hartmann, Reuters
Fire brigade members aided a wounded woman near the Bataclan concert hall, one of the sites of the explosions. Photo courtesy of Christian Hartmann, Reuters

Police have asked residents in Paris to stay inside while they take care of the events happening in the city.

 

President Obama stated in a news conference, “Once again, we’ve seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. This is an attack not just on Paris, it’s an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share.”

 

US Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, told the Associated Press that he calls the attacks in Paris “an assault on our common human dignity.”

 

Officials have not found the group responsible for the attacks yet – however, since the attacks, Twitter broke-out with celebratory messages by members and sympathizers of the Islamic State, an extremist group based in Syria and Iraq. The group is currently under assault by major powers including the United States, France and Russia.

 

French reports have stated that at least 5 assailants have been killed — 3 at the concert hall and 2 at the sports stadium.

 

The attack Friday night has outranked the attacks at Charlie Hebdo and the Islamic attacks at the French capitol less than a year ago.

 

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update: 2:39 a.m. via AP

 

French police have stated they believe that all the attackers involved are dead. Police are looking for possible accomplices that left over 120 dead.

 

WATCH: Report from the Associated Press.