The Islamic State group has in an official statement claimed responsibility for the terror attacks in Paris in which 129 people were killed and another 180 injured. Islamic State said it sent its fighters with suicide bombing belts and machine guns into the heart of the French capital, Reuters reported.
French President Francois Hollande had already blamed Isis for the attacks in which eight terrorists took part in a series of coordinated attacks across restaurants, a theatre and near a football stadium on Friday night. Now, Islamic State has confirmed his fears.
The eight terrorists are dead with seven of them dying by blowing up their explosive suicide vests and the eighth one was shot dead by police. Security forces have warned that some of the accomplices of the terrorists might still be at large.
Hollande declared a state of emergency across the country.
87 people were killed after three gunmen took hostages at the Bataclan concert hall. Explosions were also heard near the Stade de France stadium where the French football team was playing Germany. Hollande himself was at the stadium to watch the match.
Hollande, who called the attacks 'unprecedented' called for the closing of the country's borders. However, later reports suggested that only security had been tightened at the borders.
Before Isis had claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, Twitter accounts affiliated to the Islamic State claimed that their fighters had 'paralysed' Paris on Friday the 13th.
France is a member of the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes against Isis in Syria and Iraq.
This is said to be the worst attack in France since World War II.
In January, gunmen had killed nearly 20 people in Paris, including several staff members of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that had run a series of cartoons denigrating Islam.
