{"id":9095,"date":"2026-04-25T10:03:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/9095\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T10:03:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:03:28","slug":"paris-attacks-of-2015-what-happened-who-was-responsible-charlie-hebdo-timeline-events-aftermath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/9095\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris attacks of 2015 | What Happened, Who Was Responsible, Charlie Hebdo, Timeline, Events, &#038; Aftermath"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> Prelude to the attacks <a class=\"gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/59\/181259-050-06538381\/Web-site-newspaper-terrorist-attack-people-publication-January-7-2015.jpg\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/media\/1\/2044744\/193220\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Charlie Hebdo<\/a>The website of the satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015, after 12 people were killed in a terrorist attack on the publication&#8217;s editorial offices. The slogan \u201cJe suis Charlie\u201d (\u201cI am Charlie\u201d) was adopted by those wishing to express solidarity with the slain journalists.(more)<\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">France was shaken on January 7, 2015, by a deadly assault on the offices of satiric magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Charlie-Hebdo\" class=\"md-crosslink \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Charlie Hebdo<\/a>. A pair of Islamist militants armed with assault rifles burst into the magazine\u2019s Paris offices and murdered 11 people, including editor St\u00e9phane (\u201cCharb\u201d) Charbonnier. Over the following 48 hours, six more people were killed in attacks in and around Paris. The actions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Cherif-Kouachi\" class=\"md-crosslink \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ch\u00e9rif<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Said-Kouachi\" class=\"md-crosslink \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sa\u00efd Kouachi<\/a>, the French Algerian brothers who had attacked Charlie Hebdo and killed a police officer as they made their escape, were claimed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/al-Qaeda-in-the-Arabian-Peninsula\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula<\/a> (AQAP). Amedy Coulibaly\u2014who had coordinated his actions with the Kouachi brothers but had pledged his <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw\" data-term=\"allegiance\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/allegiance\" data-type=\"MW\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">allegiance<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Islamic-State-in-Iraq-and-the-Levant\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant<\/a> (ISIL, also known as ISIS)\u2014killed a police officer before murdering four hostages in a kosher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/supermarket\" class=\"md-crosslink autoxref \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">grocery store<\/a> in Paris. All three attackers were killed in gun battles with police.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/66\/269966-050-25489129\/Charlie-Hebdo-shooting-January-7-2015-Police-at-offices.jpg\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/media\/1\/2044744\/328757\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Charlie Hebdo shooting<\/a>French police officers near the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris on January 7, 2015, after armed gunmen attacked the magazine&#8217;s staff.(more)<\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">The attacks led to a dramatic increase in domestic security spending, with French Pres. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Francois-Hollande\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fran\u00e7ois Hollande<\/a> pledging more than $850 million to fund counterterrorism efforts. There was also a spike in the number of reported Islamophobic incidents following the attacks, a worrying development given that France was home to western Europe\u2019s largest Muslim <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw\" data-term=\"community\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/community\" data-type=\"MW\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">community<\/a>. The increased security measures did not prevent an attempted attack on a high-speed passenger train in northern France on August 21. Ayoub El-Khazzani, a militant with ties to ISIL, smuggled an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/AK-47\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AK-47<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/semiautomatic-pistol\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">semiautomatic pistol<\/a>, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition onto the crowded Paris-bound train. A potential massacre was averted when El-Khazzani was subdued by passengers, among them a pair of off-duty U.S. military personnel who were traveling on holiday. In September French warplanes began striking ISIL targets inside Syria; France already had been targeting ISIL positions inside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Iraq\" class=\"md-crosslink autoxref \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iraq<\/a> since September 2014.<\/p>\n<p>  The November 13 attacks <a class=\"gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/19\/271419-050-6D444DA4\/People-minute-silence-victims-Paris-Attacks-2015-Place-de-la-Republiqe-France.jpg\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/media\/1\/2044744\/334979\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Paris attacks of 2015<\/a>People observing a minute of silence at the Place de la R\u00e9publique on November 26, 2015, in memory of the victims of the Paris terror attack.(more)<\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">The November 13 attacks on Paris and environs began at 9:20 pm, when a suicide bomber was foiled in his attempt to enter the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Stade-de-France\" class=\"md-crosslink \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stade de France<\/a> in the northern suburb of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Saint-Denis-France\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Saint-Denis<\/a>. Inside the stadium, Hollande was among the 80,000 people watching an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/sports\/football-soccer\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">association football<\/a> (soccer) match between the French and German national teams. When security officers at one of the stadium\u2019s main entrances detected the attacker\u2019s bomb belt, he detonated it, killing one passerby. The belt was an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/improvised-explosive-device\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">improvised device<\/a> consisting of the highly unstable explosive <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw\" data-term=\"compound\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/compound\" data-type=\"MW\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">compound<\/a> triacetone triperoxide and shrapnel such as nails and ball bearings; identical devices would be employed by other attackers throughout the evening. Although the blast was audible to those inside the stadium, play on the field continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">At 9:25 pm a team of gunmen launched a series of attacks on popular nightspots in Paris\u2019s 10th and 11th arrondissements (municipal districts). The first location to be targeted was Le Carillon, a popular bar on the rue Alibert that had been a neighborhood fixture for some 40 years. After firing on patrons at Le Carillon with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/AK-47\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AK-47<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/technology\/assault-rifle\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">assault rifles<\/a>, the gunmen moved across <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb\" data-term=\"rue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/dictionary\/rue\" data-type=\"EB\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">rue<\/a> Bichat to Le Petit Cambodge, a Cambodian restaurant. Although this attack took just minutes, it left 15 people dead and more than a dozen wounded. The gunmen were then observed leaving the scene in a black SEAT Leon hatchback.<\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">Minutes later, at 9:30 pm, a second suicide bomber attacked the Stade de France, detonating his belt at another entrance but causing no casualties. Inside the game continued, but Hollande was evacuated from the stadium because it had by then become apparent that a terrorist attack was under way. The occupants of the black Leon crossed into the 11th arrondissement and opened fire on businesses along the rue de la Fontaine au Roi at 9:32 pm. Five people were killed and eight were <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb\" data-term=\"wounded\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/dictionary\/wounded\" data-type=\"EB\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">wounded<\/a> at the Italian restaurant La Casa Nostra, the Caf\u00e9 Bonne Bi\u00e8re, and a laundromat. The gunmen then continued their deadly course, targeting La Belle \u00c9quipe, a popular eatery on the rue de Charonne at 9:36 pm. The restaurant\u2019s terrace was packed with diners, and the gunmen fired into the crowd, killing 19 people as well as critically wounding 9 others. At the southeast end of the Boulevard Voltaire, just blocks southeast of La Belle \u00c9quipe, a suicide bomber detonated his belt outside the caf\u00e9 Comptoir Voltaire at 9:40 pm, injuring one person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">At the same time and at the other end of the Boulevard Voltaire, the deadliest attack of the evening was being carried out at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Bataclan\" class=\"md-crosslink \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bataclan<\/a>, a historic theatre and concert hall. The American rock band Eagles of Death Metal was playing to a sold-out crowd at the 1,500-capacity <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw\" data-term=\"venue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/venue\" data-type=\"MW\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">venue<\/a> when three attackers burst in and fired on the audience. Some of the concertgoers were able to escape through a side entrance, and dozens took refuge on the building\u2019s roof, while others hid or feigned death in an effort to avoid the attention of the gunmen. Witnesses said that the attackers shouted \u201cAll\u0101hu akbar\u201d (\u201cGod is greatest\u201d) and indictments of Hollande for France\u2019s military intervention in Syria as the massacre continued. The gunmen occupied the Bataclan for more than two hours, holding hostages and killing indiscriminately, before French security forces stormed the building at 12:20 am. Two of the attackers detonated their suicide belts, and the third attacker\u2019s belt exploded spontaneously when it was hit with police bullets. Scores were seriously wounded in the attack, and at least 89 people were killed.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tQuick Facts<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDate:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNovember 13, 2015 <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(Show\u00a0more)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t Show More<\/p>\n<p class=\"hermes-cta-description\">\n       Trusted knowledge for those who want to know more.\n      <\/p>\n<p>      <a class=\"btn btn-blue\" href=\"https:\/\/premium.britannica.com\/premium-membership\/?utm_source=premium&amp;utm_medium=inline-cta&amp;utm_campaign=shorter-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/inline-left.webp.webp\" alt=\"Penguin, ship, mountain, atlas\" class=\"hermes-cta-decorative-image\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/inline-right.webp.webp\" alt=\"shohei ohtani, plants, andy wharhol art\" class=\"hermes-cta-decorative-image\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/inline-mobile.webp.webp\" alt=\"Mobile\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"topic-paragraph\">As the siege at the Bataclan was developing, the 80,000 fans at the Stade de France were becoming increasingly aware of the horrors unfolding outside the stadium. Sirens and police helicopters were audible in the distance, and at 9:53 pm a third suicide bomber detonated his belt near a McDonald\u2019s restaurant a short distance from the stadium. Match organizers and stadium security officials had decided to allow the game to continue to discourage mass panic, and fans were prevented from leaving until it was clear that it was safe to do so. The match ended in a 2\u20130 victory for France shortly before 11:00 pm, and many fans, with nowhere else to go, poured onto the field. The mood was <a class=\"md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb\" data-term=\"somber\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/dictionary\/somber\" data-type=\"EB\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">somber<\/a>, and the crowd remained orderly as stadium officials assessed the situation outside. It was after 11:30 pm when fans finally began to head to the exits. In the corridors beneath the stadium, members of the crowd broke into a defiant rendition of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/La-Marseillaise\" class=\"md-crosslink \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">La Marseillaise<\/a>,\u201d the French <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/national-anthem\" class=\"md-crosslink autoxref \" data-show-preview=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">national anthem<\/a>. In the days after the attacks, the French sports minister would praise the actions of the Stade de France staff for heading off what could have been a far greater tragedy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prelude to the attacks Charlie HebdoThe website of the satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[641,1699,1698,1697,30,7270],"class_list":["post-9095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-paris","tag-article","tag-britannica","tag-encyclopeadia","tag-encyclopedia","tag-paris","tag-paris-attacks-of-2015"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}