PARIS, France: The militant outfit Islamic State is involved in the deadliest terror attacks which rocked Paris last night, the French President Francois Hollande said.
In a statement on Saturday, the French president called the terror attacks in Paris an ‘act of war’ by the Islamic State group’s ‘terrorist army’.
“An act of war… committed by a terrorist army, the Islamic State, against France, against… what we are, a free country,” Hollande said.
Meanwhile, President Francois Hollande also announced a three-day mourning in the country following the deadly Paris attacks.
“The country is in pain. I’ve ordered to extend national mourning for three days. Under the state of emergency, the police and the Army have been mobilized, and I salute their courage,” Hollande said.
Last night, Paris was struck by a series of deadly attacks that left at least 128 people dead and more than 200 injured in six different locations around the capital in the deadliest violence France has seen since World War II.
The attacks which included suicide bombings and gun fire occurred at the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris, outside the Stade de France national stadium and restaurants.
An emergency was declared in Paris and all French borders were sealed as per directives of the French president issued following the terror attacks.
In addition, schools, markets, museums and major tourist sites in the Paris area were also closed on Saturday and sporting fixtures were cancelled.
Islamic State threatens more attacks on France
Separately, the Islamic State has released a video threatening to attack France if the country continues to bomb its positions, according to Reuters.
In the video released on Saturday via Islamic State’s foreign media arm, the Al-Hayat Media Center, a bearded militant says that while the allied forces continue bombing IS positions, they will never be safe.
The Islamic State terrorists have also urged Muslims who can’t travel to Syria to conduct deadly attacks in France, saying that there are arms and ‘poison’ available, and ‘targets to be hit.’