Restaurateur Tommy Diacono was enjoying a quiet meal in the heart of Paris with his girlfriend on Friday evening when multiple gunshots rang through the cool November air.

They were the first in what went on to be several fully automatic shots fired as armed gunmen stormed the Bataclan concert hall, killing more than 80 people in downtown Paris.

The shooting was part of a series of terrorist attacks which gripped the French capital two days ago, killing almost 130 people.

“We were in a bistro enjoying dinner and we heard gunshots very, very close to us. People started running towards us, crying and screaming,” he said, adding that it quickly became clear this was not “an ordinary shooting”.

Tommy Diacono.

Mr Diacono, who owns the fast-food restaurant New York Best, told The Sunday Times of Malta he was just a few metres away from the ill-fated concert hall and saw most of the tragedy unfold.

“People outside were terrified, and everyone in the restaurant was just shocked, looking on helplessly,” he said, recounting the evening’s events in disbelief.

It was not long before squads of heavily armed policemen arrived to seal off the area taking charge and instructing everyone to remain calm.

Mr Diacono said the heinousness of the attack was too much for most, even for some of the officers.

“I saw one policewoman, wearing a bulletproof vest, break down in front of me, she just started sobbing. That’s when the gravity of the situation really hit me,” he said.

In the restaurant, near the Place de la République, Mr Diacono said diners sat on the floor, crouching under their tables as dozens of police cars and armoured vehicles crammed the streets.

I saw one policewoman, wearing a bulletproof vest, break down in front of me, she just started sobbing

At one point, officers in riot gear entered the restaurant to ask if any witnesses had seen the terrorists.

“I told them the only people I had seen were running away in fear,” Mr Diacono said.

Meanwhile, another Maltese couple said they were in shock after two close shaves.

Christa Grixti and her boyfriend at the Stade de France, where France was playing Germany.

Christa Grixti was watching France’s football team take on Germany at the Stade de France, when an explosion went off outside the stadium.

“There wasn’t any evacuation by the authorities. We heard an explosion but thought it was the fans on the other side of the stadium. We left just before the final whistle to avoid the rush of people leaving the stands. Who would have known we were going to find police scattered around the area and people running away in terror,” Ms Grixti said.

She was on holiday with her boyfriend on what the couple thought was going to be a quiet getaway.

Dazed and confused, Ms Grixti said she stood helplessly outside the stadium as panic gripped the locals and the only public announcements came in inaudible French from a booming PA system.

Although all Metro and public transport operations were suspended, Ms Grixti said she had thought her ordeal was over when she finally got into a taxi and started driving towards her hotel.

The worst, however, was far from over. It turned out that the accommodation she had booked was located just a few metres from a second attack in the heart of the French capital.

Ms Grixti said she and her boyfriend were forced to find alternative accommodation in the middle of the night and did not even have their suitcases as police had cordoned off their hotel and the surrounding streets.

“We were lucky to find a room in another hotel despite all the panic in the streets. Of course, I couldn’t really sleep after a night like that,” she said, adding that above all, she felt lucky to be safe and unharmed.

Tuesday’s edition of Times Talk on TVM at 10.05pm will be examining the Paris attacks.