‘The terrorists were young, came in a car & began firing’

It was the worst of days, but it brought out the best in France, says Mariella de Bausset, executive secretary of the Paris-based cancer-awareness foundation ARCAD.
Speaking from Paris, Mariella — who lives close to one attack site — said: “When I queued up to give blood I was struck by how youngsters in the queue of blood donors resembled those who killed innocent people on Friday.I’m amazed by how the French responded to the crisis.”
Mariella’s husband, Pierre de Bausset, is president of Airbus’s India operations. Like in Mumbai, terrorists targeted Paris’ way of life, she felt. “This street is lined with coffee shops. We’re regulars. The gunmen looked no different from anyone else. They came in a car and started shooting. Fifteen people were killed here,” she said. Asked if the terror attack would change the way they live, Mariella said emphatically: “No, no, no, no. France will never change.”