LONDON (Reuters) – World leaders responded to deadly attacks in Paris with defiant pledges of solidarity and Europe tightened security after Islamic State said it was behind an assault by gunmen and bombers that left at least 129 dead in the French capital.
From Barack Obama to Vladimir Putin and across Europe and the Middle East, leaders expressed their condolences to French President Francois Hollande who said the attacks amounted to an act of war against France.
After the worst bloodshed in France since the end of World War Two, European neighbours including Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Italy increased security. France temporarily imposed border controls.
British Prime Minister David Cameron used French to express his solidarity after calling Hollande.
“Shocked, but resolute. In sorrow, but unbowed. My message to the French people is simple: Nous sommes solidaires avec vous. Nous sommes tous ensemble. We stand with you. United,” Cameron said.
London monuments including the London Eye and Tower Bridge were lit up in the red, white and blue of the French tricolour, as were Sydney’s Opera House, the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan, the Senate building in Mexico City, One World Trade Center in New York and several other global landmarks.
The deadliest attack on Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings laid bare Islamic State’s capability to strike at the heart of Europe and the difficulty of monitoring the movements of militants intent on killing.
It also triggered a debate on Europe’s refugee policies and the failures of Western policy in Syria.
“This is an attack not just on Paris, it’s an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share,” Obama said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel echoed Obama, saying “our free life is stronger than terror.”
New York, Los Angeles, Boston and other cities in the United States bolstered security, but law enforcement officials said the beefed-up police presence was precautionary rather than a response to any specific threats.
