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Preliminary Evidence Indicates Paris Attack Was Carried Out by Trained Fighters, Experts Say

2 minute read
By Rishi Iyengar

The level of planning and synchronization exhibited in Friday’s terror attacks in Paris — with six separate but near-simultaneous incidents killing almost 130 people — makes it likely that they were executed (or at least planned) by experienced combatants, multiple analysts cited by Bloomberg are saying.

“For terrorists to inflict such a large amount of damage they must have been trained very well,” Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based risk consultancy Cornerstone Global Associates told Bloomberg. “It’s not a layman and it’s not a lone attacker.”

Roger Shanahan, a Middle East security expert at the Australian National University, added that the strikes across Paris clearly “took a fair degree of planning and central direction.” He further speculated that the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) could be responsible.

Although ISIS supporters praised the attacks on social media, and France is currently carrying out airstrikes against its militants in Syria, the terrorist group has not yet claimed responsibility for what happened in Paris.

An eyewitness was quoted as saying that one of the attackers blamed “all the harm done by [French President Francois] Hollande to Muslims all over the world” before opening fire. Another attacker was said to have shouted “This is for Syria!”

[Bloomberg]

Photos: Fatal Shootings, Explosions Rock Paris

FRANCE. Paris. Terrorist attack. Panic scenes in Quay de Valmy. 2015.
The crowd rushes on Quay de Valmy following terrorist attacks in central Paris, on Nov. 13, 2015.Jerome Sessini—Magnum for TIME
French fire brigade members carry an injured individual near the concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris, on Nov. 13, 2015.
French fire brigade members carry an injured individual near the concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris, on Nov. 13, 2015.Christian Hartmann—Reuters
A member of the French fire brigade aids an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.
A member of the French fire brigade aids an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015. Christian Hartmann—Reuters
Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Saint Denis, outside of Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.
Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Saint Denis, outside of Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.Ian Langsdon—EPA
Rescue workers attend to victims of the attacks in the 10th district of Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.
Rescue workers attend to victims of the attacks in the 10th district of Paris on Nov. 13, 2015. Jacques Brinon—AP
Police are seen outside a restaurant in 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.
Police are seen outside a restaurant in 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris on Nov. 13, 2015. Kenzo Tribouillard—AFP/Getty Images
A suspect is apprehended near Place Republique on Nov. 13, 2015, in Paris.
A suspect is apprehended near Place Republique on Nov. 13, 2015, in Paris. John Van Hasselt—Corbis
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (left) and French President Francois Hollande during an emergency meeting in the security control room at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, near Paris, on Nov. 13, 2015.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (left) and French President Francois Hollande during an emergency meeting in the security control room at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, near Paris, on Nov. 13, 2015. Christelle Alix—AFP/Getty Images
A police officer directs people outside the Stade de France stadium during the international friendly soccer France against Germany, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in Saint Denis, outside Paris. Two police officials say at least 11 people have been killed in shootouts and other violence around Paris. Police have reported shootouts in at least two restaurants in Paris. At least two explosions have been heard near the Stade de France stadium, and French media is reporting of a hostage-taking in the capital. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
A police officer directs people outside the Stade de France stadium during the international friendly soccer France against Germany, in Saint Denis, outside of Paris, Nov. 13, 2015.Michel Euler—AP
Crowds wait on the pitch during a soccer match at Stade de France on Nov. 13, 2015 in Paris, after the game was halted following an explosion.
Crowds wait on the pitch during a soccer match at Stade de France on Nov. 13, 2015 in Paris, after the game was halted following an explosion.Xavier Laine—Getty Images
Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer France against Germany, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in Saint Denis, outside Paris. At least 35 people were killed in shootings and explosions around Paris, many of them in a popular theater where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said Friday. Two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer France against Germany in Saint Denis, outside Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.Michel Euler—AP

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com