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According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, it is learnt that one of the attackers who detonated an explosive vest outside the Stade de France actually had a ticket to the international friendly between France and Germany on Friday night. If not for an alert security guard, a number of people inside the stadium could have easily lost their lives.
A series of explosions were heard at the stadium during the match where France won 2-0. But the number of casualties at the was not as high as the other attacks on a restaurant and concert hall in Paris that saw more than a hundred people lose their lives and over 200 wounded. The German team also spent the night at the stadium before leaving for Germany on Saturday.
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At the Stade de France, one of the guards revealed that he had stopped one of the suicide bombers from entering the stadium which had close to 80,000 fans. Zouheir (he did not provide a last name), who was manning the players’ tunnel, revealed that 15 minutes into the game, the suicide bomber had tried to enter the arena.
Suicide bomber detonated vest after he was frisked by security
When they frisked him and discovered that he was wearing an explosive vest, the bomber backed away from the guards and then detonated the vest. Another policeman also revealed that the bomber’s plan was to blow himself up inside the arena to cause as much damage as he could before a massive stampede could claim more lives.
Three bombs were detonated outside the stadium, two of which were heard clearly inside the arena and on the live telecast. At first, fans did not realize the gravity of the situation and can even be heard cheering thinking they were fireworks – which are common during these games.
France president Francois Hollande was one of the dignitaries at the match and he was evacuated from the stadium as soon as the first attacks in Paris were reported.
Even Zouheir did not think too much of the first blast and thought it was a firecracker. It was only when his walkie-talkie started buzzing did he realize something was wrong. When he saw President Hollande being evacuated from the VIP box, that was when he realized something was wrong.
“Once I saw Hollande being evacuated, I knew it wasn’t firecrackers,” Zouheir explained, according to WSJ.
The attacks do not bode well for France who are set to host Euro 2016 next summer.
France midfielder Lassana Diarra lost his cousin in attack
According to Sky Sports, French midfielder Lassana Diarra has confirmed that he lost his cousin in the terror attacks in Paris last night. Diarra was playing for France in the friendly against Germany at the time.
