On Friday, Nov. 13, Paris, France, was the unfortunate site of numerous bombings and shootings. Police and investigators determined the attacks to be the work of terrorists, which was later confirmed when the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took responsibility for them. These attacks resulted in the city closing all schools, museums, markets, and other public places on Saturday, as well as urgent warnings for people still out on the streets to quickly get to safety.

Updated reports concluded that there were a total of six shooting incidents. It appears that this was a co-ordinated attack by up to 12 gunmen.

Thousands of tourists and residents were in the middle of watching a soccer match between France and Germany when terrorists with AK-47s and suicide-belts attacked various places in the capital, including the Stade de France (“Stadium of France”) where the soccer game was taking place.

These unexpected acts of terrorism left the global community in shock and Parisians mourning for loved ones.

An estimated 127 people alone were killed in Paris and Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris where Stade de France is located. More than half of those victims were killed at the Bataclan concert venue, with 100 hostages (some were wounded) being brought out by the police. Updated reports conclude that 352 people were wounded in the attacks, and 99 of the wounded are in critical condition at the moment.

According to some primary sources, two men dressed in black entered the concert hall and began to shoot everyone execution-style. A French channel, BFMTV, reported that  “it’s for Syria” and “Allahu Akbar” were shouted by a gunman at the Bataclan concert hall. Another place attacked was Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, where innocent people and young children were killed.

The French army was called in, and a total of 1,500 soldiers were deployed around the capital. The President of France, François Hollande, declared a nationwide state of emergency in France and closed borders for the first time since 1958 in the hopes that the terrorists would have a harder time escaping.

President Barack Obama denounced the attack, saying, “Those who think that they can terrorize the people of France or the values that they stand for are wrong.”

Other government officials from around the world, such as Germany, Canada, and the UN, have made their support clear and are determined to do what they can to help. Even Russia, who has notoriously acted contrary to Western operations in Syria, has come together with Western nations after an ISIS attack on a Russian airliner on Oct. 31 killed all 224 people on board, with British Prime Minister David Cameron stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin “recognises the need for compromise” in Syria following the Paris attacks.

Some people have linked this terrorist attack to a similar one back on Jan. 7 of this year when gunmen, angry over drawings of the Prophet Muhammad, stormed into the office of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people.

Despite this period of distress and widespread sadness, France – and the global community – has only become more determined to recover quickly from the attacks and unite against the forces behind them. President Hollande is adamant about attacking the Islamic State group without compassion, as they have carried out the deadliest attacks on France since World War II.