>>> This is an attack not just on Paris and not just on the
people of France but this is an attack on all of humanity and
the universal values that we share.
The French people have stood shoulder to shoulder with the
United States time and time again and we stand together with
them. This is a heartbreaking
situation. >> Good evening.
Welcome to a special edition of "dateline."
I'm Lester holt. It is the deadliest violence in
Paris since world war ii. Coordinated and devastating
series of attacks across the city tonight targeting at least
six different sites and leaving 120 dead.
The highest death toll was at a Paris concert hall where the
audience was taken hostage and at least 100 people killed.
Police say there were also two suicide attacks and a bombing
near the national stadium where a soccer game was under way.
There was another attack on a crowded French restaurant.
Police say they believe all of the attackers are now dead.
The French government has declared a state of emergency
and closed its borders. Tonight, secretary of state John
kerry is describing the attacks as heinous, evil and vial.
Keir Simmons has the latest details.
>> Reporter: Chaos on the streets of Paris tonight.
Gunfire ringing out. A mass hostage taking and
simultaneous reports of multiple explosions at a restaurant.
The death toll at least 120. [ Gunfire ]
>> Reporter: Amid the confusion, there appeared to be as many as
six or seven separate incidents. Reports that a 100 people are
dead after the hostage taking at a concert hall where the
American band eagles of death metal were playing.
Witnesses say shooters walked through the building killing
people one by one. A shooting at a shopping mall.
At least 11 people killed there alone and police said two
suicide attacks outside the French national stadium where
France and Germany were holding a soccer game.
Explosions could be heard inside the stadium.
The fans were held on lockdown. One of the spectators was
president hollande. Rushed from the stadium.
Within an hour, he was chairing an emergency meeting.
While French police and military flooded the streets, the
president mobilizing 1500 troops.
Emergency workers were seen carrying away the injured.
Echos of a "Charlie hebdo" attack where multiple shooters
targeted a magazine office. On Twitter, Paris is burning
began trending. In Paris, there is shock and
fear tonight. Tonight there are reports they
were wearing suicide vests and blew themselves up when the
security services stormed the building.
The French police are saying they believe all the attackers
are dead. The French president declaring a
state of emergency. France must be strong, he said.
Lester? >> Keir, let's take a closer
look at the hostage massacre inside that theater.
The concert hall in Paris where scores are dead, an American
band was on stage when the gunmen stormed in.
The bataclan club is a half mile from the site of "Charlie
hebdo". 12 people died then.
Tonight, the toll at the music venue is much, much higher.
Here's Anne Thompson. >> Reporter: Inside the bataclan
hall is carnage. The intimate club with room for
a thousand patrons turned into a shooting gallery by terrorists.
At least 100 people killed. Along with gunfire, Paris police
say the attackers tossed explosives at their hostages.
♪♪ On stage, an American band.
Eagles of death metal. The six-man group from palm
desert, California, was in the middle of a European tour.
The show at the bataclan sold out.
The band's Facebook page says they are currently trying to
determine the whereabouts of the band and crew but tonight nbc
news has confirmed one person affiliated with the band is
dead. Just before midnight, Paris
police stormed the concert hall to free the hostages.
Automatic gunfire and sirens filled the nearby streets.
Police say they killed at least two attackers.
French TV reports four attackers are dead and three blew
themselves up with suicide explosive belts.
Tonight, French president francois hollande went to the
scene saying France will bring the fight against terrorism and
will be without pity. Now, as the attacks happened,
tonight U2 was rehearsing at the arena for tomorrow night's
concert on hbo. Someone with the band says the
rehearsal was stopped and everyone was given a security
brief and the entire band was taken back to their hotel where
they were held underground until that hotel was secure.
U2 just announced it is canceling Saturday night's
concert. Lester?
>> Anne, thank you. We want to go now to a man who
witnessed the horror of the concert hall firsthand.
Julien Pierce is joining us by telephone.
Thank for joining us. We're glad you're okay.
Why don't you simply start by telling us what you saw.
>> Well, the show was running since 40, 45 minutes and the
band was playing on stage and the crowd was huge.
The concert hall was full and the venue was sold out.
There were about a thousand people inside the concert hall
when the first gunfires -- we heard the first gunshot.
And at first we didn't know if it was actually gunshots.
I was in the front of the stage so when I looked back, I saw two
or three men wearing black clothes and masks and holding
assault rifles, ak-47s. >> What was the crowd doing at
this moment? >> Just singing.
Just dancing to the music. We were having a wonderful time.
We were just enjoying the music. So -- it just happened like
lightning. And so when I looked back, I saw
these three men shooting at us. And they were shooting automatic
rifles, so not just one gunshot per gunshot.
They were just unloading the gun towards us.
>> Were they saying anything as they fired in to the crowd?
>> I can't tell. I can't tell because as soon as
the first gunshots -- the people started to scream, to yell.
And so we all lied on the floor and many people tried to walk on
the bodies to try to escape the bullets.
>> And we know you made your way out over the stage and helped
those that you could. Julien Pierce, thank you for
sharing your account with us. Sam champion, our friend with
the weather channel was in Paris for a climate conference.
He witnessed some of the chaos in the aftermath.
Sam, tell us what it was like on the streets of Paris tonight.
>> Lester, even before I do that, I want to tell you right
behind on the other side as we were coming around to get to the
shot right now, there is an armed tactical team on the other
side. One black Van, a couple of
officers with automatic rifles standing guard between two
buildings and virtually half a block away there's a cluster of
people huddled at a bus stop unable to get a taxi, unable to
get anywhere. These people are just trying to
get home. The city's in shutdown,
lockdown, as you've been reporting all night long.
When we last talked to you and left you, we went on a tour
across the city. We left this area, went across
the fence, went over to the Eiffel Tower.
We had set up our studio for the climate reality 24 hour
broadcast. The Eiffel Tower has gone dark
to honor those who were killed in these mass shootings.
And the entire area is oh so quiet.
Lester, I want to choose the words carefully just to tell you
that these streets are silent. There are very few cars that
moved through. Earlier in the evening there
would be clusters of emergency vehicles going through.
The only thing moving through town with some kind of flashing
light on it. And now people are inside and
you can see there are few lights on in Paris.
It's still very early in the morning now but some people just
seemingly unable to sleep. Streets very quiet.
But that just -- I just wanted to tell you what it was like to
come around and see automatic weapons on one corner of a
building and people huddled under a bus shelter just trying
to get home on the other. >> Sam champion, thank you very
much. Here in the U.S., president
Obama quickly moved to condemn the Paris attacks.
Nbc's Kelly O'Donnell is standing by for us at the white
house this evening. Kelly, good evening.
>> Good evening. President Obama is still in the
white house tonight and he moved quickly to speak to the nation
saying there were so many facts that were not yet known but he
wanted to offer friendship, sympathy, condolences to the
French people and a promise to help in any way the U.S. can.
>> 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.
We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that
the government and the people of France need to respond.
France is our oldest Ally. The French people have stood
shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States time and again.
We want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the
fight against terrorism and extremism.
We are reminded in this time of tragedy that the bonds are not
only values that the French people care so deeply about but
they are values that we share. And those values are going to
endure far beyond any act of terrorism or the hateful vision
of those who perpetrated the crimes this evening.
>> And tonight, officials >> and tonight, officials here
say the president does plan to keep his travel over to Turkey
tomorrow. He would be leaving here
tomorrow afternoon. So no change in his schedule
just yet. And of course, tonight homeland
security officials say that they are in touch with their
counterparts in France. They are talking to local and
state law enforcement around the country but so far no credible
threats inside the U.S. They are also reaching out to
the private sector to make sure if there are in cases where
there needs to be a change in the security posture here at
home but so far no indication of that.
And also, Lester, the president is due to visit Paris later this
month where there will be a climate summit in that city.
Unclear if those plans will change.
Lester? >> Kelly O'Donnell, thanks.
Andrea Mitchell is with us here and justice correspondent Pete
Williams is in Washington. Andrea, I know you've been
working your sources all evening long.
Andrea, let me start with you. Obviously very coordinated and a
very sophisticated attack and leads to the obvious question,
why wasn't something on that level picked up?
>> And that is the question. The French have very good
intelligence and share with us all the time.
We supposedly have very good intelligence, the best in the
world. And the fact is, there was no
warning of this. They are going back now to the
counterterrorism center to see if they missed something or was
this on social media, was this some kind of electronic
surveillance that it was a threat, a coded threat that they
did not pick up. But the fact is, they didn't see
anything coming and that is very concerning to American
intelligence and to the French. The president said he had not
called president hollande, understanding that they were
still in the response mode. He did not want to throw them
down or interfere but normally we would be getting a lot of
information from the French. >> All right.
We want to go -- we have the university of Washington student
Adam kirk on the line who was in Paris.
Adam, tell us where you were when these attacks played out.
>> Yeah, I'm just around the corner from the bataclan
theater. >> And what did you see and hear
tonight? >> Yeah.
So it started -- I can't even remember what time it was local
time but I was following the Germany and France game, the
soccer game on Twitter and I had heard something about a possible
explosion. And then I heard many sirens
going past my courtyard which I never hear.
It's a very quiet area. And then right after that, maybe
five, ten minutes later I heard two or three major explosions,
some gunshots. And then it actually went pretty
quiet for about an hour. Obviously there was still a lot
of sirens and whatnot. And then I'm at the point where
I read online, about the same time that they were going to go
in and try to free the hostages, I heard about five major
explosions, the loudest thing I've ever heard.
And then about 100 to 150 people came rushing in to my courtyard
led by the police and the door was slammed shut and they stayed
there for three to four hours. >> These are people who had been
taken from the theater? >> I cannot say that with
absolute certainty. It seems more than likely, based
on the explosions, followed by all of these people coming and I
would say, you know, most likely.
But again, I can't say that for 100% certainty.
>> As we've been noting, there were attacks on probably six
different points in Paris. Were you aware of that at the
time, that the entire city was under siege?
>> Yeah. Actually, I have a couple of
friends who were actually on their way towards my place here
to hang out for the night and they said they were hearing
things in different parts of the city and then all of a sudden
they basically were stuck, you know, right where they were.
They couldn't get any closer. My street is actually -- if you
go outside the courthouse, which I haven't gone out for safety
reasons, it's completely blocked on both sides.
Military, fully armed, you know, huge guns, things like that
right outside our front door and there's a triage unit set up
basically between where I am and where the bataclan theater is.
>> Adam, I don't know if you were there in January during the
"Charlie hebdo" attacks but certainly you're aware of them.
To be there tonight with this happening, how are you feeling?
>> Actually, I was not in Paris at the time of the "Charlie
hebdo" attacks but I heard a lot about them and I knew I was
going to be going to Paris when I heard about that.
It made me a little uneasy but I was faith in everybody and
thought everything was going to be okay.
The only thing I would say is a lot of people have been calling
and wanting to interview me and at the end of the day, the story
is not about me because I'm obviously okay.
There's hundreds of people who lost somebody tonight and I
would say that's the key thing to focus on in a moment like
this. >> Nonetheless, Adam, I'm sure
your family is happy to hear that you are well.
Thank you so much for joining us and offering your account.
I want to continue the discussion about intelligence
that was apparently missed in this, as we've noticed.
Pete Williams is watching this play out.
Pete, to the extent that everyone was caught by surprise,
what is going on right now to make sure that the U.S. homeland
is not under an immediate threat?
>> Well, they say they know of no specific or credible threat
but some of the major police departments have decided on
their own to step up their street patrols.
New York City police probably responded first.
Dispatched to crowded areas to provide a visible police
presence. Teams were also sent to French
government locations in New York city and here in Washington and
New York state police say they are stepping up their presence
at big public gatherings and so were sheriff deputies in los
Angeles. They are telling their officers,
be extra vigilant and many concert halls and sports arenas
across the country tonight say they are adding extra security.
Lester? >> We talk about this being a
sophisticated attack. But really what we've seen so
far, I'll say this to the both of you, we've seen before, there
was Mumbai, there was a terrorist hostage taking in
Moscow. We're talking guns and bombs
here, Andrea. Does this change the game in
terms of intelligence? >> It does because they
obviously communicated with each other.
There were multiple sites. This is coordinated.
And they had some sophisticated weapons, some advanced weaponry
which is not that common except in the criminal elements, the
terror elements. In Europe, because of their gun
laws there. They had to communicate and the
question is, how did they communicate?
Because there is such good surveillance on cell phones and
there's such good communications ability by the intelligence
gathering in Europe. Especially in France.
Especially in Great Britain and in the United States so they may
have been communicating via social media or through code.
That's the kind of thing that is very concerning to U.S.
Intelligence. >>> We'll have much more.
Richard engel will have more about who might be behind this.
Stay with us. We're back in a moment.
3 f2 >>> estamos de vuelta con
describe what you saw in that restaurant.
>> I was in a restaurant with my friend and all of a sudden we
heard these huge gunshots, sounded like loud explosions and
everybody jumped to the floor in confusion and panic I was lying
on the floor and heard numerous more gunshots coming through the
window and pieces of glass was hitting everybody that was lying
down. I grabbed hold of the woman next
to me to see if she was okay and she had been shot in her chest
and she was full of blood and I'm not sure she was breathing.
So then I realized how serious it was.
We stayed in the restaurant for a while.
I'm sure it was safe to leave and as soon as we thought it was
safe to leave, my friend and I made a quick getaway.
I live 15 minutes away so we ran out of the restaurant.
>> Did you see the attackers? >> No, I didn't.
I had my head to the floor. I believe there was more than
one. It definitely sounded that way.
They didn't come inside the restaurant.
It seemed to be a drive-by, although it also seemed that
they stopped and reloaded their guns and then fired another
round. So we were not sure whether or
not it was over or not and -- yeah.
Just generally that was the feeling of terror.
>> And then when it was over and you made your way out of the
restaurant, can you give us a sense for the magnitude of what
you saw? >> The impact didn't really hit
us initially and what was really strange was that nowhere else
was anybody aware of what had just taken place.
Literally just a number of, you know, blocks down, people
weren't aware that there had been a shooting.
We were running out screaming and crying and people in all of
the neighboring clubs and bars didn't have any idea.
But it wasn't surprising to me when I heard later reports that
it was a coordinated attack because, to me, the feeling I
had was exactly the feeling I had during the "Charlie hebdo"
attacks, the feeling it was something larger, it was
something more sinister. >> Well, as a journalist,
certainly you cover these sorts of things but to be in it, to
witness it for yourself, how are you processing emotionally what
you have been through? >> It's funny you ask that
because I'm not sure I am. Emotionally, I think it's just a
very matter of fact to me and I think that's normal.
I think that's exactly the way my friend who was with me felt.
It was like it wasn't real, it wasn't happening.
It's the kind of thing that you see in films or, for instance, I
work in the news. It's the kind of thing I watch,
I write about all the time and it's not something that you ever
factor coming in to your world. So --
>> you mentioned the "Charlie hebdo" attack less than a year
ago. >> Right.
>> And now this. Paris is a wonderful, charming
city that so many people know and enjoy.
What is this doing, do you think, to the collective psyche
of the people that call Paris home right now?
>> I think with my knowledge of -- what the city went through
during "Charlie hebdo," I think it will unite people.
I think it gives people a stronger sense of identity and a
stronger sense of what it means to be alive, what it means to be
with your loved ones. That's definitely how I feel.
But I think I would say and I am an ex-pat living in Paris, it
makes people Cherish their city more and I want it to be
protected and I want the people to be united.
That's what I think. >> And then to have witnessed
what you have witnessed and then you no doubt heard about the
siege at the concert hall, what did you feel when you heard
that? >> I felt like I had been
punched in the stomach because I had felt like we were so lucky.
I felt like it was too good to be true in a strange sense, that
we had just got out and that we were fine, completely unscathed.
I had a tiny shard of glass that hit me in the face.
Nothing else. And I thought to myself -- and I
wasn't aware how many people had died at the restaurant and I
thought to myself, this is crazy, this is crazy that barely
any people were injured, as far as I was aware and then when I
heard about the hostage situation, I suddenly thought
this is so, so gruesome and I can't imagine the fear that that
must have brought upon these people being held hostage for an
hour. >> Charlotte, you have been
through a lot. We appreciate you taking the
time and sharing your account with us and we're glad you're
okay. Thanks so much.
>> Thank you. >> We'll be back in a moment
with more of this special edition of "dateline," the
effect these massacres are having around the world.
>>> Welcome back to our special edition of "dateline," darkness
in the city of light tonight. With at least 120 people dead,
reports of at least 200 wounded after a highly coordinated
series of terror attacks throughout Paris.
The head of the Paris police say all of the attackers are now
believed to be dead. This was the scene tonight.
Paris was under attack on Friday.
Terror struck at multiple locations.
At a concert hall, gunfire, hostages.
More than 100 people killed. At a restaurant, more gunfire.
Security experts wondered who was behind what appeared to be a
series of sophisticated, coordinated attacks.
It began after dark. 80,000 people were watching a
soccer game between France and Germany when multiple explosions
were heard outside. One of the spectators was the
French president himself. Across town, shots rang out at
this restaurant. Gunmen stormed inside and
started shooting anyone in sight.
At least 11 were reported killed.
Nearby bars and restaurants were evacuated.
An eyewitness described the police response.
>> Police officers with guns drawn and hiding behind vans and
dozens and dozens of firefighters appeared to be
closing off the road and first you hear somebody got shot and
then five or six shots went off and then you hear, no, it was
five or six shots from a kalashnikov ak-47 rifle and that
the gunmen were still on the loose.
>> And then filled with young people, an American band was
playing when gunmen armed with kalashnikovs barged in.
Some people escaped but those left behind were held hostage at
the mercy of the gunmen. The massacre ended when police
stormed the concert hall. The attackers are all reported
dead. Firefighters began the grim task
of taking out people dead and alive.
There had been at least seven -- six attacks in total around
the city. Police ordered people to stay
indoors. The French president, who had
been whisked from the stadium, ordered a state of emergency and
closed the borders. There has been no claim of
responsibility yet for the death and destruction carried out in
Paris this evening. Let's get to nbc chief news
foreign correspondent Richard engel live in Istanbul.
Richard, there was a time that this happened, the first name
that came up would be al qaeda. Lately we talk about Isis.
Any signatures here that point one way or the other?
>> Reporter: Well, you have competing signatures.
And I think it's important to think of this not as a series of
coordinated attacks but one attack.
This was a military-style commando attack and the first
bombing, the series of bombings at the stadium.
Not coincidentally, I don't think, during the -- one of the
most important football games of the year, soccer games of the
year, broadcast live on national television, the French president
inside. That kind of attack would draw a
lot of attention. It would draw first responders.
It would draw police, security services.
Then, a second or even third or fourth team carried out a much
more deadly phase of the attack, opening fire at that restaurant
at nearby bars and then the hostage and massacre in the
concert hall. So that leaves the question, who
can do this kind of attack? You have to stockpile the
weapons, you have to organize a team, you have to have people it
suggests who have military experience and one senior
counterterrorism official I spoke to said this is likely the
work, in his assessment and his assessment of other analysts, of
al qaeda or an al qaeda affiliate.
They have this kind of experience.
They are familiar with grand attacks on an international
scale and al qaeda has a lot to prove these days because al
qaeda hasn't been doing much since the death of bin laden.
It has been overshadowed by Isis.
And al qaeda and Isis fight effectively for the same
recruits. But it could be at the hands of
Isis. Many of them going back to
Europe. And if it were Isis, U.S.
Counterterrorism officials say it would be a new kind of Isis.
It would be an Isis that is now truly international.
An Isis that is more dangerous. An Isis that just recently
claimed to have carried out multiple suicide attacks in
Beirut on Thursday. Claims, although still
unconfirmed, that it brought down a Russian passenger jet
killing over 200 civilians in the sinai.
And if Isis were able to do this attack in a western capital, it
would be something significantly different out of their familiar
area of operations and it would also say things about U.S.
Foreign policy. It would say that the U.S.' war
on Isis, the U.S.' strategy on Isis right now doesn't seem to
be working. >> Richard, let me bring in
national security and military analyst and executive editor
of defense Kevin baron. Thank you for joining us.
The French president is already vowing to retaliate against
whoever did this. That's easier said than done in
a world where it's not necessarily state actors.
>> That's absolutely right. Ash Carter has issued his
statement of solidarity with the French, pointing out that the
U.S. and the French have been working together in this fight
that stretches from Liberia to the Indian ocean.
This is an enormous fight against terrorism.
We're not even sure exactly who conducted the attack.
That's a strong statement. >> Let's look at this a little
farther back now in terms of the United States and what things
might have been missed here and how vulnerable we might be.
Looking at the weapons, what we know of the weapons, reports of
grenades as the sort of things used tonight, would those be
more difficult for a group to use in this country?
>> Well, in this country, the great fear was an attack from
overseas or an attack that is homegrown or a
homegrown-inspired attack. That's the new wave here.
Already you're already seeing counterterrorism officials
saying they don't have any credible evidence of an attack
here. But to gather grenades, arms,
certainly that's exactly what I think the domestic homeland
security officials are afraid of, much more than al qaeda
operatives who are in Syria or in the region traversing all
the way across the land. It's different for Europe.
Clearly different for Europe. This is where the foreign
fighters are coming from. That's who jihadi John was.
He was a britain that went to the war there.
There's that notion of keeping America at a distance from this
fight. >> I mentioned to Andrea
earlier, we've seen this before. We've certainly seen the Mumbai
attack. It reminds us how vulnerable we
are. Is there really any defense
against this sort of attack? >> Well, that's the big
question. I think what is new right now in
the American government is how the government is figuring out
how to blend and combine the counterterrorism efforts, which
is an intelligence effort, with homeland security, something
like chattanooga. This country has seen the lone
wonderful attack, but it has not seen the large coordinated city.
And that really is the big fear. The big city attack.
One indicator is just recently the secretary of homeland
security has asked the administration to renew the
terror alert system, something we haven't seen since it was
changed, since the old color coded one was changed.
There is a fear that if that alert system was sparked, if it
was invoked once, it would cause panic amongst the journalists or
amongst the public. They are already trying to get
ahead of that game. >> Kevin baron and Richard
engel, thanks to both of you. >>> When we come back, the
latest reports from Paris on the investigation into these
attacks. As we go to break, the sounds of
the French national anthem where two suicide attacks occurred
outside. ♪♪
>>> We're back with our special edition of "dateline."
France is under a state of emergency tonight after a series
of attacks in Paris. At least 120 people killed at
multiple locations. The largest of those massacres
occurring at a concert theater. I want to bring in a French
journalist and white house correspondent.
Laura, what are you hearing from your colleagues overseas,
specifically if we can walk you through what happened at the
theater. Was the attack purely inside or
was it from both inside and outside?
>> It was inside in multiple locations and then some people
arrived inside the theater and it was absolutely horrible.
According to some witnesses, the attacker went to the theater
arrived from the backstage and then they began to fire on
people. Multiple fires.
It was extremely violent. The ceiling fell down on the
head of the people listening to the concert.
And then I heard one attacker had cap on his head and he was
looking at a couple, absolutely petrified.
And the couple began to shake and said to them, you can go,
you can go. And then he looked at a woman.
The woman began to throw an object and then he killed her.
Then it was complete panic, according to a report, someone
blew themselves up inside the theater.
We have more details of this moment about how many terrorists
who are killed tonight, four inside the theater, three killed
themselves, three bombers outside the stadium and
apparently -- and it's the last news -- there was another
terrorist who kill himself or was shot in a street in Paris
near the theater. >> So that would take it to
seven different locations of attacks?
>> Yes, seven different locations.
It's like the yankee stadium of New York and then you have
multiple attacks across the street in two or three
restaurants and also the hostage situation in the theater which
is a music hall in Paris. It would be like inside
Broadway. Some people shooting in the
restaurants near Broadway and then a theater attack in the
middle of Broadway. >> And then in terms of what
happened at the soccer stadium, we were seeing some of the
footage of the game. We hear an explosion.
That all occurred outside, correct?
>> Yeah. It happened outside and it was
suicide bombers who detonated their vests, apparently, and a
tank of gas outside the stadium when the president was there.
The president was, according to our reports, never targeted.
He was, however, quickly evacuated.
And the people thought at the beginning that it was firework.
And then after hearing the explosion, they realized that it
was not fireworks but it was probably an attack and then the
police arrived and said that it was suicide bombers.
>> All right. Laura haim, white house
correspondent, thank you for that late information.
We appreciate it. >>> We're back in a moment on
this special edition of "dateline" with how these
attacks in Paris are impacting global air travel.
>>> We're back on this special edition of "dateline" with our
continuing coverage of the deadly terror attacks in Paris.
For a look at how the events of this evening are impacting air
travel, let's bring in nbc's tom coast tell low who covers
aviation for us. What are you hearing?
>> Air travel appears to be going as normal.
They have been receiving flights through the night.
We checked with the U.S. Airlines that fly into Paris.
American airlines says it canceled one flight out of
Dallas tonight but of its other flights, some were delayed.
All those supposed to fly tonight.
Same with united airlines and delta, all flights flying
tonight. At New York's jfk airport, wnbc
talked to one passenger waiting to depart for France.
>> It's very terrible. We just saw it a couple of hours
ago. We saw it on TV.
We are very under shock. It's really shocking.
>> Are your family and friends okay?
>> Hopefully, yes. I have not had my family on the
phone. They should be okay.
>> We also checked with the faa this evening.
They tell us that it is coordinating with French and
European and aviation authorities but as of now it's
not altering any protocols as it relates to any flights to or
from France. The farks faa does say it is
prepared to take any action in the event that action is
warranted. As you know, there's always
beefed up, stepped up security at airports worldwide.
We're likely to see that in the coming hours and days in Europe
but here in the United States, there is no specific or credible
threat -- again, it's not aware of any specific or credible
threat against the United States homeland.
Lester? >> Tom costello, thank you.
>>> When we come back on this special edition of "dateline,"
we'll go to keir Simmons for a live update on the attacks in
Paris.
>>> New York City is standing in solidarity with Paris tonight
and the far left of your screen in the back, the empire state
building normally would be lit brightly on a Friday night.
It's dark tonight in honor of the attack in France.
And there you see the one world trade center, its tower ablaze
with the colors of France. We're back with this special
edition of "dateline." Before we leave you, we want to
go back to keir Simmons in London.
He's monitoring all the latest developments coming in.
Keir, what do we know at this hour?
>> As of tonight, the death toll in Paris is at least 120 and
some French media are putting it as high as 140.
All of the shooters are now dead, according to the police.
Some may have been responsible for multiple attacks, maybe six
or seven sites across the city. In one case, we're hearing
reports of four men firing into a restaurant for more than a
minute and then turning and walking away.
In another case, two suicide bombers outside a stadium where
a soccer match was underway, including the French president
among the spectators there. 100 hostages have been killed in
a concert hall where an American band was playing.
Reports say the attackers killed people one by one, even throwing
grenades. French president hollande says
Paris must be strong, big and firm.
The terrorists want to scare us but faced with fear, we are a
nation who knows how to defend ourselves.
They are talking tonight about this being the worst perhaps
attack in France in decades. Even have to go to the history
books to find examples as bad as what they are living through
tonight in Paris and France. >> Keir Simmons from London for
us. That is going to wrap up our
special edition of "dateline." Matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie
will anchor a special edition of the "today" show.
That's thunderstorm morning -- tomorrow morning.
For now, I'm Lester holt. For all of us at nbc news,
thanks for watching and good night.