Immediately after arriving in France on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama paid a midnight tribute to the victims of the Paris terror attacks. Together with French President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Obama laid a single white rose at a makeshift memorial in the Bataclan club, where 90 people fell victim to one of the Paris terror attacks more than two weeks ago, according to CNN.
It took the U.S. president 45 minutes to get to the site from the Orly Airport, where Air force One touched down late Sunday night. The solemn procession arrived at the memorial in an understated fashion, passing down a cordoned-off Boulevard Voltaire at a slow speed while French police stood guard near the area, preventing diverting pedestrians and traffic.
The president's visit to the memorial was very brief, lasting only a few minutes. After placing a single white rose at the memorial, Obama bowed his head and put his arms around Hollande. After a few moments, he slowly, quietly walked away, reports NBC News.
The U.S. president is the latest in a succession of world leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, who have paid respects to the victims of the terror attack at the Bataclan. Obama's visit, however, occurred under the cover of darkness and was shrouded in extremely tight security.
Obama's visit to the site came as more than 140 world leaders are set to meet in Paris for the United Nations' major conference on climate change, the COP21 climate summit.
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