Police officers stand guard in the Place de la Republique in Paris, France, Nov. 14, 2015. Islamic State claims responsibility of Paris attacks that took place Friday night in an online press release Saturday. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

 

European countries have beefed up security following Friday's multiple attacks in Paris that killed more than 120 people and drew strong condemnations from the international community.

About seven well-coordinated shootings and bombings rocked central Paris Friday night, one of which turned into a hostage taking at the Bataclan theater and concert hall where hundreds of people were attending a rock concert.

At least two explosions were heard near the national stadium Stade de France where a France-Germany friendly soccer match was being played, attended by French President Francois Hollande.

According to local media, the death toll rose to 128 victims, with 250 people wounded, among whom 99 are in very critical situation, in "an unprecedented terrorist attack".

Investigators said at least eight attackers were killed, with seven of them having blown themselves up.

European countries beef up security

French President Francois Hollande on Saturday chaired an emergency defense council, the second in few hours after an apparently coordinated attacks and bombing rocked the French capital Friday night.

Calling the attacks "an act of war that was prepared, organized, planned from abroad with internal help", Hollande, together with Prime Minister Manuel Valls and several ministers, including Interior Minister Bernard Caseneuve, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, in addition to army chiefs pledged to dig for adequate security measure to ensure the safety of the eurozone's second leading power.

French anti-terror police are working to find out potential accomplices to the attackers as the French authorities claimed that they couldn't rule out the possibility that other militants involved in the attack remained at large.

Hours after the Paris attacks that took place Friday night in Paris, security checks have been heightened at French borders with Belgium and Switzerland, Xinhua journalists on site reported Saturday.

French metropolitan territory and Corsica is in state of emergency since Saturday morning.

Hollande declared late Friday night a state of emergency across France, the first such decision since World War II.

The French presidential office clarified early Saturday that the country has restored border controls but has not closed borders. French Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said later that security checks on all trains and flights coming to France will also be heightened.

Meanwhile, several European countries have decided to upgrade their terror preparedness following the Paris attacks.

Italian government has raised alert level to two, meaning that special military forces are ready to immediately intervene at need.

The Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano called a special meeting on Saturday morning that was chaired by Renzi and attended by Italian police and intelligence services chiefs.

"No country is at zero risk, and from today we consider the menace as further increased," Alfano told a press conference following the special meeting.

Alfano said the Italian government has taken two main decisions: reinforcing security measures throughout the country and tightening controls at borders.

Controls were especially tightened at the border with France, he explained, but also at all road, railway, port and airport networks in the country.

Special attention was being dedicated to the major cities of Rome, Milan and Turin. An additional 700 troops were made immediately available for security work in the Italian capital, Alfano added.

Identification procedures were being accelerated as regards illegal immigration into Italy, as infiltration cannot be ruled out, Alfano also said adding that the objective was to register 100 percent of the illegal migrants entering Italy.

The Hungarian government's national security committee held a special meeting on Saturday attended by the prime minister, and ordered heightened security including an increased police presence in public places and at important facilities such as the airports and the Paks nuclear power plant.

Gyorgy Bakondi, the prime minister's chief national security advisor announced that there would be tighter border controls, too, although Hungary had no information regarding any concrete threat.

Bakondi noted that other European Union countries were taking similar measures.

Dutch cabinet increased alertness of all its related security services and intensified border surveillance.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called for a special meeting with some of his ministers on Saturday morning. Rutte said that the border control, particularly traffic from and to France, has been intensified. This applies to train stations and airports as well. Also, during major events police will be on extra vigilance and alert.

Slovak authority has introduced several security measures since Friday midnight after the Paris attacks.

According to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the country have increased monitoring of Slovakia's border with Ukraine and Hungary and in asylum seeker reception centres in Eastern Slovakia and in Gabcikovo in Western Slovakia.

Additional security measures have been put in place for events of mass meeting, and for selected buildings and Slovakia's embassies. Security forces are also on alert for possible radical tendencies among foreign communities and far-right extremists.

Slovak security forces have activated all procedures required to analyse risks affecting Slovakia, according to its Interior Minister Robert Kalinak.

Nordic country Finland Saturday announced that it is raising its own degree of terrorism preparedness as well, according to the statement made by Finnish Minister of Interior Orpo.

Lithuanian leaders expressed on Saturday the need to strengthen security by the European Union's external borders, the country has also taken additional security measures.

Algirdas Butkevicius, the head of Lithuanian government, held a meeting on Saturday morning with its interior minister, to discuss additional security measures.

"An order to strengthen the security by the external borders has been given," Butkevicius told reporters.

According to the PM, Lithuanian authorities will pay more attention to massive events happening these days.

Norway's police intelligence agency PST said on Saturday it has strengthened security preparedness, though so far there is no information that indicates connections to Norway.

"We have seen that even in Norway there is an increased risk of attacks," Norway's Minister of Justice and Public Security Anders Anundsen told local media, adding that the Norwegian authorities are doing everything they can to keep citizens safe.

Due to the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night, Spain is considering to raise the country's terror alert. The Spanish Ministry of Interior is asking for assessment of the risk of terror, which in Spain is currently at 4 level on a scale of one to five levels.

Read more in Special Coverage: