According to the SITE Intelligence Group tracking militant sites, Twitter posts attributed to jihadist supporters are speculating which group may be responsible. Many users expressed belief that the Islamic State group could be behind the carnage.
They used Arabic-language hashtags that translated to “Paris on fire” and “Caliphate state strikes France.”
SITE says that accounts also circulated pictures of the attacks, and one pro-IS channel accused France of sending warplanes to bomb Syria and says “today it drinks from the same cup.”
A French government official says the country’s state of emergency has gone into effect and that President Francois Hollande is cancelling his trip to the G-20 meeting in Turkey.
Hollande was due to leave Saturday for the meeting in Turkey, which was to focus in large part on growing fears of terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists.
The official, who was not authorized to be named, said the government will hold a defense council meeting in the morning.
