Breaking News: Paris under siege: Dozens killed and injured in series of coordinated terrorist attacks after Kalashnikov-wielding gunman goes on the rampage in the capital, 100 hostages are taken at concert hall and explosions are heard near national stadium

Paris has been gripped by terror after three coordinated terror attacks in the heart of the city killed at least 40 people.

There was a shootout inside a restaurant on the Rue Bichat, two explosions near the Stade de France sports stadium and another shooting at the Paris Bataclan concert hall where terrorists are said to be holding 100 people hostage.

U.S. security officials believe the attacks were coordinated.

It is thought that at least 11 were killed in the restaurant, close to where the Charlie Hebdo shootings occurred in January, and another 15 in the
theatre, police officials said.

Bodies litter the streets of a Paris alley after a string of terror attacks in the French capital tonight 

A man who was inside the theatre when the gunmen entered told a French radio station that the men shouted 'Allah Akbar' as they opened fire.

He added: 'The men came in and started shooting. Everyone fell to the ground. It was hell. I took my mum, and we hid. Someone near us said they have gone, so we ran out. 

'I was only thinking of escaping. We're out now. I think people are still inside. It's a nightmare - a nightmare.' 

'We are all terrified, and have been told to get away as soon as possible,' said Gilles Avel, a 19-year-old student who was enjoying a night out with friends close to the Bataclan, where a band called the Eagles of Death Metal was playing.

'There were shots and then lots of people running. We knew there was a rock concert going on in the Bataclan.' 

Anti-terrorist police and soldiers  could be seen flooding into the area. There have been unconfirmed reports that the attacker near the stadium, where the French football team is playing Germany in a friendly match tonight, was a suicide bomber. 

An eyewitness said the two explosions were loud enough to be heard over the sound of cheering fans. Sirens were heard immediately and a helicopter was seen circling overhead.

Players briefly stopped in their tracks when they heard the twin blasts. Following news of the attack, thousands of fans - too scared to leave the stadium - poured onto the pitch.

Machine gun fire and screams were heard from inside a restaurant on Rue Bichat at around 9pm

An AK47 gunman attacked a Korean restaurant in the Bastille area of the city, while grenade blasts were also heard.

Police and other emergency services are at the scene, which is close to where the Charlie Hebdo attack happened in January. 

Images posted online showed the cracked windows of what appeared to be the restaurant under attack. 

Dozens of people were standing outside their cars on the junction opposite and the lights of polie cars could be seen above them.

Eyewitness Ben Grant, who was in a nearby bar with his wife at the time, said he saw six or seven bodies on the ground.

He told the BBC: 'I was told people in cars had opened fire on the bar. There are lots of dead people. It's pretty horrific to be honest. 

'I was at the back of the bar. I couldn't see anything. I heard gunshots. People dropped to the ground. We put a table over our heads to protect us. We were held up in the bar because there was a pile of bodies in front of us.'

Emilioi Macchio from Italy was at a bar close to where the restaurant shooting took place, and said it 'sounded like fireworks'.



Source: Dailymail