Stade de France falls silent for terror victims

Paris (AFP) – A minute’s silence was held at the Stade de France on Friday to mark the first anniversary of the Paris terror attacks.

A capacity crowd of 80,000 at the national stadium fell silent prior to kick-off in France’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Sweden, almost exactly a year on from the attacks which killed 130 people and injured many more on Friday November 13, 2015.

France were playing Germany at the same stadium in a friendly that night when three suicide bombers blew themselves up immediately outside the ground.

A 63-year-old man, Manuel Dias, was killed by one of the explosions at the beginning of a night of terror around the French capital.

French president Francois Hollande was in attendance for the Sweden game, played on a national holiday to mark the day that ended the First World War in 1918.