Paris attack France's deadliest in decades

"Moscow resolutely condemns terrorism in all its forms," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS news agency.

"President Putin due to the tragic event in Paris... expresses his deep condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the dead and also to the people of Paris and all the French."

Meantime, here is a rundown of previous major attacks:

May 20, 1978: Palestinian terrorists open fire at Orly airport south of Paris, targeting passengers for a flight to Tel Aviv. Eight people die, including three gunmen, two police officers and three passengers.

October 3, 1980: A bomb explodes in front of a Paris synagogue, killing four people and wounding some 20.

March 29, 1982: An attack on a train between Toulouse and Paris on which then Paris mayor Jacques Chira

Gunmen killed 12 people in an attack Wednesday in the offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the worst such attack in France in at least 40 years.