According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the attack on Stade de France was planned to resemble the deadly attacks at the Paris concert hall The Bataclan and the shootings at several bars and restaurants throughout the city. At least 129 were killed and at least 100 more were critically injured during the attacks, but it appears the damage could have been much worse. According to a security guard at the stadium, the first blast heard at Stade de France was triggered by a suicide bomber who had a ticket to the game and was attempting to get inside. His explosive vest was discovered by security during a routine pat down about 15 minutes into the match. The bomber detonated the vest shortly after he was denied entry into the stadium.The Journal spoke to a security guard who only identified himself by his first name, Zouheir, and then confirmed the account with a police officer.
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Police speculate that the plan was to detonate the vest inside the 80,000 capacity stadium "in order to provoke a deadly stampede." For comparison, the Bataclan's capacity is reportedly 1,500. Zouheir says he first thought the blast was firecrackers. But he quickly learned via security radio transmissions that it was a bomb. Shortly afterward, Zouheir saw President Francoise Hollande escorted out of the stadium. A few minutes later, a second bomb was detonated outside the stadium, and then a third was detonated at a local McDonalds.Fédération Française de Football head Noel le Graet said that they decided not to alert fans during the game in order to avoid panic at the stadium. It's not uncommon to hear firecrackers at soccer matches, so the gravity of the situation was not immediately clear to those inside. Word eventually started to spread through the stadium in the second half, however.Shortly after the explosions at Stade de France, the shootings began throughout Paris. French national team member Lassana Diarra, who was playing in the match, confirmed to Sky Sports that his cousin was killed in the attacks.For more information and updates head to VICE News.[Wall Street Journal]While attempting to back away from security, Zouheir said, the attacker detonated the vest. Zouheir, who was stationed by the players' tunnel, said he was briefed on the sequence by the security frisking team at the gate.