MSA Intel

Authorities have released additional information on Friday night's terror attacks in Paris that left 129 dead and over 350 wounded. Authorities now believe that the attack was carried out by three synchronized teams who targeted six local icons across Paris, including the State de France soccer stadium, Baraclan Theater and two restaurants. TATP Linked in Paris AttacksIslamic State of Iraw and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement. The group voed more attacks and referred to France as the "capital of prostitution and obscenity." Eight militants armed with AK47 rifles and identical suicide bomb vests carried out the attacks. Authorities stated that the vests were packed with an explosive called traicetone triperoxide (TATP). One of the attackers attempted to enter the Stade de France but was blocked at the security checkpoint. He then detonated his suicide vest as he was backing away from security.

One suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Ismael Omar Mostefai. He was described by authorities as a French citizen who had a criminal record and known links to extremism. Two other suspects were French nationals living in Belgium. A Syrian passport was reportedly found near the body of one of the attackers. Authorities in Greece and Serbia have confirmed that the holder of the passport had passed through Greece and Serbia last month among migrants fleeing Syria and Iraq. Police have found an abandoned car containing assault rifles believed to have been used by the attackers in Montreuil, located four miles east of Paris. Yesterday, seven individuals with suspected links to the attacks were arrested in Belgium. Athorities have not released details about how those individuals are connected to the attacks. 

Implications

As details about the attack in Paris continue to emerge, authorities in major cities remain on high alert. There is concern that ISIL supporters could be inspired to launch another attach. Additionally, individuals involved in Friday's attack may still be at large. Earlier today, police issued a wanted alert for an individual believed to be directly involved in the attack. 

The attacks in Paris show that the threat from ISIL is evolving. ISIL has been known to use social media to recruit individuals from the West and call on these supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks. However, the Paris attacks were coordinated, well-planned and used a combination of tactics, showing the group's ability to carry out a large-scale, sophisticaed attack in the West. Additionally, the group focused on places likely to be crowded on a Friday night, rather than popular landmarks and other symbolic locations, to maximize casualties and the impact of the attack. 

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