At least 1 suicide bomber was reportedly barred from entering the Paris soccer stadium

Explosions outside Stade de France were one of several terrorist attacks in and near Paris on Friday
(Image credit: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

At least one of the attackers in Friday night's Paris terrorist attack outside the national soccer stadium just north of the city had tried to get into Stade de France with a ticket to the game, a guard told The Wall Street Journal.

The guard, who The Journal identified by his first name, Zouheir, said the guards frisked an attacker 15 minutes into the exhibition game between France and Germany and found his explosive vest. The attacker backed away from security and, along with two other suicide bombers, then reportedly detonated his vest nearby. One civilian was killed, police said.

A police officer confirmed Zouheir's account of the shooting to The Journal and said he suspected the attacker had planned to detonate his vest inside the stadium in order to provoke a stampede.

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Inside the stadium, spectators reported hearing at least two blasts from outside, though some at first thought they were firecrackers, which European soccer fans occasionally set off at games. The explosions near the stadium were part of a series of terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday that ISIS has claimed responsibility for. So far, 129 people have died in all.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.