ISIS Takes Credit for Paris Terror Attacks That Claimed Lives of at Least 129

Impact

Terrorists with the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, have claimed responsibility for the deadly attack that rocked Paris on Friday. At least 129 people died in the attack; 352 have been wounded, with close to 100 in critical condition, according to a statement Saturday afternoon from Paris public prosecutor François Molins.

An Arabic and French statement that circulated online early Saturday reads, "Eight brothers, wrapped in explosive belts and armed with machine rifles, targeted sites that were accurately chosen in the heart of the capital of France," according to the New York Times"Let France and those who walk in its path know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State."

The post goes on to name the assailants. "Today we reaffirm the fact we are the Islamic State," the statement reads. 

An "act of war": Addressing the nation, French President François Hollande called the carnage an "act of war" and laid the blame squarely on ISIS, the New York Times reported. It was shortly thereafter that the Islamic State took credit for the attacks, the Associated Press reported. 

"It is an act of war that was committed by a terrorist army, a jihadist army, Daesh, against France," Hollande said. "It is an act of war that was prepared, organized and planned from abroad, with complicity from the inside, which the investigation will help establish." After shutting its borders and declaring a state of emergency, the first since 1944, France has vowed to strike back against the Islamic State. 

As the world watched Friday, Paris was undone by a series of coordinated attacks "of an unprecedented scale," said Hollande. The incident is considered to be the worst affront against the nation since World War II. 

Speaking to Reuters, an unnamed French source says 67 people were in critical condition and another 116 were wounded. 

The attacks: Bombings unfurled during a soccer match to the North of Paris at France's national stadium, Stade de France, as diners in the 10th arrondissement were gunned down. Meanwhile, assailants attacked a popular music venue, the Bataclan, taking young concert-goers hostage and systematically murdering their captives. 

Jerome Delay/AP
Thibault Camus/AP
Thibault Camus/AP
Thibault Camus/AP
Michel Euler/AP

World leaders respond: Responding to the attacks and addressing the nation, President Barack Obama called the catastrophic attacks "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," he added. "We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that the government and the people of France need to respond."

In a statement on Saturday, Tom Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said the disaster was "an attack on humanity and all humanitarian and Olympic values," per the Associated Press. "Today all people of goodwill will say: We are all French."

Pierre Suu/Getty Images
Christophe Ena/AP

Nov. 14, 2015. 2:00 p.m. Eastern: This story has been updated.