Paris Attack Falsehoods
Eight terrorists murdered 127 people in Paris on 13 November, in a series of co-ordinated attacks on Paris, leading to rumours and urban legend Reuters

The Paris Attack has left France reeling from the worst single incident of violence which has killed nearly 130 people and left 300 victims injured, with 80 in a serious condition. The multiple and coordinated terror attacks, which have been claimed by Islamic State (ISIS), have left the city of Paris on edge of further attacks.

With rumours and false information floating about in the digi-verse, International Business Times UK exposes six of the most persistent falsehoods.

Israel was running a false flag operation (again)

According to the Jerusalem Post the co-founder of the Free Gaza movement, Mary Hughes-Thompson, raised the possibility that Israel was behind the deadly attacks that hit Paris on Friday night, killing 128 people.

"I haven't accused Israel of involvement. Still, Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] is upset about the European settlement boycott. So who knows," Hughes-Thompson tweeted following the attacks on 13 November.

The "European settlement boycott" refers to new labelling guidelines for goods produced in the areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War which the EU approved earlier this week.

Following the Paris terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in January, Hughes-Thompson similarly hinted at Israeli involvement.

The fantasy that the Jewish state was behind the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington is a popular conspiracy theory in Muslim world.

Gunfire hear at Bagnolet suburb

Armed police, backed up by a helicopter, were dispatched to the suburb of Bagnolet, in east Paris, after gunfire was reported in the area. However, police confirmed that the noise was firecrackers that were set off by a wedding party.

After the incident, the police said in a tweet: "Do not distribute or relay false information or false rumours."

Louvre and Les Halles gun attack

As the terror incident was unfolding last night, reports came in of "intense gunfire" at the Louvre art gallery in central Paris. There were also claims that the Les Halles shopping mall, close to Centre Pompidou was under attack.

However, both assertions turned to be false. However, the authorities in Paris have closed all schools, museums, libraries, swimming pools, gyms and food markets all day on Saturday.

Band member killed at Bataclan concert hall

News came out that a member of the Los Angeles band Eagles of Death Metal, which was playing at the Bataclan concert hall, was killed when gunmen killed 87 hostages at the venue.

Following the attack, the band released a statement claiming that not all the band members were accounted for.

But on Saturday morning the band's management confirmed that none of its members – including Josh Homme, who is also the frontman for the Queens of the Stone Age – had been killed during the incident.

Eagles of Death Metal have cancelled the rest of their European tour, which was due to finish in December.

Calais 'jungle' refugee camp on fire

While Paris was under attack by the eight gunmen and suicide bombers, there was news that a fire at the makeshift refugee camp near Calais was on fire. Dramatic images on social media showed the camp lit up by what appeared to be a huge fire.

There was speculation that the fire was deliberately lit by extreme right-wing vigilantes in a revenge attack.

However, this incident turned out to be another exaggeration with only a small accidental fire actually occurring. The images in the tweet above were actually from a fire that occurred on 2 November.

Eiffel Tower goes dark

Major news websites picked up on a Vine of the Eiffel Tower's lights going out following the attacks in Paris. The video shows the lights of the iconic tower shutting down sequentially, with the caption text saying: "Watch the Eiffel Tower's lights go out in memory of those killed in #ParisShooting terror attacks"

This footage was actually from the memorial of the Charlie Hebdo shooting, which took place in January.

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