France becomes target of frequent terrorist attacks

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was revenge for Charlie Hebdo’s depictions of the Prophet Mohammed. Prosecutors say they found documents about Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State at his home, and that he had been in touch with a suspected jihadist in Syria about an attack on a church.

►Aug. 15, 1998: A vehicle bomb planted by an Irish Republican Army splinter group kills 29 people in the town of Omagh, the deadliest single bombing of Northern Ireland’s four-decade conflict. CNN said sources reported there were six to eight attackers holding the hostages and witnesses said hostages were being killed.

Cameron said on Twitter: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people”.

A band member had tweeted a photo of the venue Friday afternoon, before the concert and before the attack.

March 11, 2004 – Series of bomb blasts in Madrid’s commuter trains kill 191 people and injured over 1,800. The blasts penetrated the sounds of cheering fans, according to an Associated Press reporter in the stadium.

A Paris police official said there were at least 100 hostages in a Paris theater following shooting and explosions at two cites in the city.

Hundreds of people spilled onto the field of the Stade de France stadium after explosions were heard nearby during a friendly match between the French and German national soccer teams. It was unclear if the events were linked. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead.

“It sounded like fireworks”, he said.

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

In early 2015, Paris was at the forefront of global attention due to the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices where 20 were killed, including the three gunmen.

The restaurant targeted Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices. Since January, there have also been a number of smaller incidents, including a decapitation and attack on a gas factory by an alleged ISIS sympathizer near Lyon in June, the arrest of a student with a cache of Kalashnikovs allegedly planning an attack on Paris churches in April, and a foiled attack on a high-speed train in August.