French President Francois Hollande said a state of emergency would be declared across France following a spate of attacks in Paris on Friday evening in which he said dozens were killed and several wounded.
“It is horrifying,” Hollande said in a brief statement on television, adding that a cabinet meeting had been called.
“A state of emergency will be declared,” he said. “The second measure will be the closure of national borders,” he added.
“We must ensure that no one comes in to commit any act whatsoever, and at the same time make sure that those who have committed these crimes should be arrested if they try to leave the country,” he added.
However, the French presidential office later said on Saturday it had restored border controls rather than closing them in the wake of multiple terror attacks.
“President Francois Hollande decided on the immediate restoration of border controls,” said the Elysee Palace as saying in a press release issued after an emergency meeting of the council of ministers.
The Elysee said the state of emergency takes effect “immediately across the metropolitan territory and in Corsica” so as to “forbid the movement of people and establish zones of protection and security.”
According to the French Foreign Ministry, airports and train stations will remain open, and the service and security will be assured.
Shortly after the speech, Hollande’s office announced that he was canceling his participation at the G20 meeting in Turkey this weekend.
A mandatory curfew was instituted in Paris, the first since 1944, according to the Associated Press.
Shortly after midnight Paris time, a French government official said the country’s state of emergency had gone into effect.