President Barack Obama on Friday addressed “outrageous” terror attacks that took place in Paris, assuring France that the United States stands by its oldest ally.
“I want the people of France to know that the United States stands with you today, stands with you tomorrow,” he said in remarks at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee.
After 12 people were gunned down Wednesday at the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, simultaneous police raids Friday ended in the deaths of the suspects who carried out that attack and of another gunman who took hostages in a Paris kosher supermarket.
The President credited the “courage and professionalism” of French forces on the ground for resolving the immediate threat. He added that U.S. officials had stayed in close communication with French authorities throughout the ordeal and had given counterintelligence and law enforcement support.
He also offered condolences to the families of the victims and denounced the attackers.
‘”In the streets of Paris, the world has seen once again what terrorists stand for,” Obama said. “They have nothing to offer but hatred and human suffering. We stand for freedom, hope and the dignity of all human beings. That’s what the city of Paris represents to the world, and that spirit will endure forever, long after the scourge of terrorism is banished from this world.”
