How a Security Check Saved Hundreds of Lives in Paris
There is much debate whether all the security travelers and other must go through post-9/11 is useful or just an illusion to make people feel secure. And it’s been proven time and time again, that no amount of security can stop all tragedy if we and others are to live in freedom.
But last night in Paris, amid all the carnage, fear, and chaos wrought by the coordinated Islamic State attacks on the city, it has emerged that a security check saved lives. Thanks to a guard at France’s national soccer stadium, three civilian lives were tragically lost there rather than what could have been hundreds.
Related: What to Do If You’re a Tourist In Paris Right Now
This is how it reportedly went down: According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the IS suicide bombers had a ticket to the France versus Germany soccer match and tried to enter the stadium. However, when the man went through the security gate, a guard patted him down and found the explosives vest. Instead of entering the stadium to blow himself up in the middle of tens thousands of spectators (the venue holds 80,000 when at capacity) and ignite a deadly stampede, he was forced to detonate his vest, packed with explosives and bolts, right there — outside the venue.
Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer France against Germany, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 in Saint Denis, outside Paris. Multiple fatal attacks were coordinated throughout the city. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Three people (other than the attackers) were killed and several security guards were injured. Soon after two more suicide bombers subsequently blew themselves up near the stadium.
More than 129 people were killed and hundreds more injured in the various attacks, with a reported 89 massacred at Bataclan Theater.
Related: Two Men Linked to Paris Attacks Registered as Migrants in Greece
