The first suicide bomber detonated his explosives 15 minutes into Friday night’s international soccer match between France and Germany at the Stade de France.
The explosives used were of poor quality, the Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said — but they were enough to scatter the bloodied remains of the bombers dozens of meters away.
One person who was walking by was killed in the attack. Several others were injured.
Investigators are now looking at the sequence of events: security guards in the area told CNN that one of the bombers tried to enter the stadium but was stopped by security.
But while forensics teams have swept the area, grisly evidence remained on the streets outside the stadium Sunday morning, more than 36 hours later.
Yves Buck lives near the stadium. “I was sad when I saw the blood on the walls,” he said, “but not when I found out it was suicide bomber.
“I can’t imagine if it had happened a few minutes sooner — it was crowded. God help us!”
Nuts and bolts that formed part of one of the bomber’s suicide belts were also lying on the ground, even embedded behind the smashed glass of shops opposite the stadium. One of the fences next to the point of detonation had been dented by the impact of a bolt.
Onlookers wandered around the scene, apparently unaware of the blood and tiny, barely noticeable pieces of ripped clothing lying on the ground.
But others cannot forget what they saw on Friday night.
Kevin Tulga had just gone through the stadium entrance with his 10-year-old son when the bomber detonated behind him.
“We saw body parts there. I didn’t want my son to see any of this. We were in front of the stadium. We didn’t think. We had no idea what was happening. So I covered his eyes, took his arm and just ran.”
The stains outside the Stade de France — scene of the national team’s 1998 World Cup victory — will wash off.
But the feeling persists in Paris that another attack may come.
Tulga still has his tickets to Friday’s game. His son can’t sleep and Tulga, who came to France as a Kurdish refugee, says he doubts he will take the youngster to another match.