President Obama calls Paris attacks 'heartbreaking,' 'attack on all of humanity'

WASHINGTON (WABC) -- President Barack Obama is calling the attacks on Paris "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians" and is vowing to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

"This is an attack not just on Paris, it's an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share," he said. "We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance the government and the people of France need to respond."

Obama was briefed on the attacks Friday by his counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco.

"This is a heartbreaking situation, and obviously those of us here in the United States knows what it's like," he said. "We've gone through these kinds of episodes ourselves, and whenever these kinds of attacks happen, we've always been able to count on the French people to stand with us. They have been an extraordinary counter-terrorism partner, and we intend to be available to them in that same fashion."

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Obama said he would not speculate about who was responsible.

"I don't want to speculate at this point in terms of who is responsible for this," he said. "It appears that there may still be live activity and dangers that are taking place as we speak. And so until we know from French officials that the situation is under control and we have more information about it, I don't want to speculate."

The attacks come as the president is preparing for two trips abroad. He's slated to leave Saturday for a nine-day trip to Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia. He due to travel to Paris for climate change talks at the end of the month.

Here is the verbatim of his remarks:

"Once again, we've seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. This is an attack not just on Paris, it's an attack not just on the people of France. But this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share. We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance the government and the people of France need to respond.

"France is our oldest ally. The French people have stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States time and again, and we want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Paris itself represents the timeless values of human progress. Those who think that they can terrorize the people of France or the values that they stand for are wrong.

"The American people draw strength from the French people's commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are reminded in this time of tragedy that the bonds of liberte, egalite, fraternite are not only values that the French people care so deeply about, but they are values that we share. And those values are going to endure far beyond any act of terrorism or the hateful vision of those who perpetrated the crimes this evening. And we are going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice and to go after any terrorist networks that goes after our people.

"We don't yet know all the details of what has happened. We have been in contact with French officials to communicate our deepest condolences to the families of those who have been killed, to offer our prayers and thoughts to those who've been wounded. We have offered our full support to them. The situation is still unfolding. I've chosen not to call President Hollande at this time, because my expectation is that he's very busy at the moment. I actually by coincidence was talking to him earlier today in preparation for the G-20 meeting. But I am confident that that I will be in direct communication with him in the next few days, and we'll be coordinating in any ways that they think are helpful in the investigation of what's happened.

"This is a heartbreaking situation, and obviously those of us here in the United States knows what it's like. We've gone through these kinds of episodes ourselves, and whenever these kinds of attacks happen, we've always been able to count on the French people to stand with us. They have been an extraordinary counterterrorism partner, and we intend to be available to them in that same fashion. I'm sure that in the days ahead, we'll learn more about exactly what happened, and my teams will make sure that we are in communication with the press to provide you accurate information. I don't want to speculate at this point in terms of who is responsible for this. It appears that there may still be live activity and dangers that are taking place as we speak. And so until we know from French officials that the situation is under control and we have more information about it, I don't want to speculate."