Members of Maine’s congressional delegation expressed sympathy and support for the people of France after 129 people were killed Friday in a series of coordinated attacks at a stadium, concert hall and cafes and restaurants.
Reuters reported the assault came as France, a founding member of the U.S.-led coalition waging airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, was on high alert for terrorist attacks ahead of a global climate conference due to open later this month.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins told CBS13 she learned about the Paris attacks Friday night at her home in Bangor.
“We have to acknowledge the painful reality that ISIS, al-Qaida and other extremist Islamic groups are out to get us. That is not paranoia, that is the truth,” Collins, a Republican, said. “We would hand them a victory if we were to let them change our way of life.”
Collins, a member of the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, also told the television station that the most important thing the U.S. can do right now is share with France any intelligence information the U.S. might pick up on plots against them.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Paris tonight as the details of these tragic events continue to unfold,” U.S. Sen. Angus King said in statement issued Friday. “These acts of violence are an unconscionable assault on freedom and liberty, and America stands ready to assist our French friends and allies as they work to bring this situation to an end, identify those responsible, and bring them to justice.
“There is still much we don’t know about the attacks — but the coordinated nature leaves little doubt that these are acts of terror,” King, an independent, said. “And as ever, we stand united against the hatred and brutality of violent extremism. I will continue to be briefed as more information becomes available, and as we learn more, the victims and their families will remain in our hearts and minds.”
King also serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“France is our oldest and one of our closest allies,” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, said in a statement issued Saturday. “Our hearts are with the French people, and we will stand with them as a nation. In the wake of these evil and heinous acts we must strengthen our commitment to fighting terror and hatred around the world.”
Her colleague, Bruce Poliquin issued a similar statement Friday.
“To the people of France, we stand united with you and all of France is on our hearts and in our prayers,” he said. “If history has taught us anything, it proves we must remain vigilant against such cowardly, terrorist attacks.”
Other reactions in the United States
On Saturday in New York, hundreds of people including Mayor Bill de Blasio gathered for a vigil at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The park is known for a landmark arch modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Some of the crowd held signs of a peace symbol with the Eiffel Tower at its center. At dusk, the city was planning to light the arch in the blue, white and red of the French flag.
Roya Hegdahl, a 21-year-old Columbia University student from Seattle, stood at the vigil with a French flag draped around herself and her French roommate.
“I have a lot of anxiety about how the world will react to the situation because in these moments it’s easy to act out of fear and anger, which often doesn’t lead to the best decision and policy making,” Hegdahl said.
At Times Squares, the New York Police Department marshaled about 200 officers and dozens of vehicles at Times Square in a show of force reminiscent of exercises the NYPD staged regularly in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
In Los Angeles, the second-largest U.S. city, police said they stepped up patrols at concerts and other places with large crowds.
Western security sources said the attack on Paris was one of the “nightmare” scenarios for police forces: several well-planned attacks with advanced weaponry on unarmed civilian revelers across a densely populated capital.
The attacks included explosions outside a stadium where the French and German men’s national soccer teams were playing an international match.
In response, the National Football League said it would increase security and beef up law enforcement presence at stadiums this weekend as a precaution, even though there was no known threats to any of the venues.
Reuters writers Guy Faulconbridge and Sarah Young contributed to this report.