Gunfire and grenades woke the residents of a Paris suburb earlier today, where French police forces raided the apartment building of the suspected mastermind of last week’s terror attacks.
The siege ended with two deaths and seven arrests.
The targeted suspects were “about to move on some kind of operation,” and that the raid was “right on time,” an unnamed police sources reportedly told CNN.
The dead were a woman who blew herself up with an explosive vest and a man hit by projectiles and grenades at the end of the raid, which began before dawn and continued for more than seven hours at the apartment building in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the raid was launched after information from tapped telephone conversations, surveillance and witness accounts indicated that the suspected attack’s planner, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, might be in a safe house in the district.
Authorities could not immediately confirm whether Abaaoud, a Belgian Islamic State militant, was killed or arrested Wednesday morning.
Abaaoud was believed to be in Syria after a January police raid in Belgium, but bragged in Islamic State propaganda of his ability to move back and forth between Europe and Syria undetected.
Speaking at the scene of Wednesday’s raid, Molins said the operation began with a pre-dawn shootout and resulted in the capture of three people inside the apartment, the death of a woman who set off an explosive charge, and the death of “another terrorist who was found at the end of the operation who was hit by projectiles and grenades.”
He said two other people were detained while trying to hide in the rubble, and two others were arrested, including the man who had provided the apartment and one of his acquaintances. Police at the scene were seen escorting away one man naked from the waist down and another wrapped in a gold emergency blanked.
“As things stand, it is impossible to give you the identities of the people detained, which are being verified,” he said.
Molins and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve did not specify whether any suspects might still be at large.
A police official not authorized to be publicly named because of police rules said four police officers were injured.
French President Francois Hollande held an emergency meeting with senior ministers at the Elysee Palace to monitor the raid.
Residents said an explosion shook the neighborhood shortly after 4 a.m.
“We guessed it was linked to Friday night,” said Yves Steux, barman at L’Escargot restaurant 250 meters (yards) from the assault.”My wife panicked and was scared and told me not to leave, but I ignored her. Life goes on.”
Baptiste Marie, a 26-year-old independent journalist who lives in the neighborhood, said a second large explosion was followed by “two more explosions. There was an hour of gunfire.”
Another witness, Amine Guizani, said he heard the sound of grenades and automatic gunfire.
“It was continuous. It didn’t stop,” he said. “It lasted from 4:20 until 5:30. It was a good hour. I couldn’t say how many shots were fired, but it was probably 500. Hundreds, definitely. There were maybe 10 explosions.”
Sporadic bangs and explosions continued, and at 7:30 a.m. at least seven explosions shook the center of Saint-Denis. Associated Press reporters at the scene could hear what sounded like grenade blasts from the direction of the standoff.
Investigators have identified 27-year-old Abaaoud, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, as the chief architect of Friday’s attacks in Paris, which killed 129 people and injured 350 others.
A U.S. official briefed on intelligence matters said Abaaoud was a key figure in an Islamic State external operations cell that U.S. intelligence agencies have been tracking for many months.
Police vans and fire trucks rushed to the scene north of Paris, less than two kilometers (just over a mile) from the Stade de France stadium. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up Friday near the stadium during an international soccer match with French President Francois Hollande in attendance.
In Saint-Denis on Wednesday, police cordoned off the area nearby, including a pedestrian zone lined with shops and 19th-century apartment buildings. Riot police cleared people from the streets, pointing guns at curious residents to move them off the roads.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
AMERICA better start precautions now before its to late and it may well be to late already. Obama isn’t concerned about AMERICAN people just his own agenda.
Women and children are NOT victims. They are warriors. They do exactly as their Masters tell them to do, as do the children.
ISIS is already here! There are camps in Illinois, Virginia and a couple more states. Our administration is a disgrace. Our elected officials should be impeaching Obama and arrest him for treason. We have to all be very watchful and protect ourselves because Obama doesn’t care if we live or die. Everyone needs to be prepared for anything. It is a sad situation that America finds itself in.
There can be no doubt that Obama is a Muslim and a terrorist sympathizer (he has even admitted it as it is a crime punishable by death to deny Islam if you are a Muslim). How the American people could have allowed this to happen when they knew more than 10 years ago that they were voting an enemy of the state into the highest office in the state, boggles the mind?. He appears to have converted most of his administration to Islam as well with Kerry being a leader in all this too. As with Gay people who eventually ‘come out’ I wonder how many Muslims will ‘come out’ from the White House that should now be painted red as that would be more appropriate.
The best thing to do is for the French police to root out all the terrorists and deal with them. These people are demon possessed. You can’t reason with them. There are only two ways to deal with them–cage them up for the rest of their life or kill them. The sooner the civilized world accepts this reality the better off we will all be.
ARM EVERY SOLDIER AND EVERY VETERAN AND ALLOW THEM TO CARRY GUNS AT ALL TIME IF THEY ARE NOT A MENTAL CASE. BUT BET THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN.
FROM A REGISTERED DEMOCRAT, A CHRISTIAN AND A VETERAN OF THE KOREAN WAR, 52/53, BUT AFTER GATHERING ALL THE FACTS, I VOTE FOR THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON, NOT A PARTY.
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF, REGARDLESS IF YOU ARE REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, OR INDEPENDENT. IS THE THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS OBAMA IS TRYING TO BRING INTO THIS COUNTRY A START OF AN INVASION OF HIS MUSLIM COMRADES??
ALL SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES HAD BETTER GET TOGETHER NOW AND BLOCK ALL MUSLIMS FROM ENTERING THIS COUNTRY AND SEND THE ONES BACK ALREADY LET IN. CITZENS CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES AND DEMAND THEY TAKE ACTION.
WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN WHOLESALE KILLING STARTS, HOLLOW FOR OBAMA. YOU BETTER HAVE A GUN AND PLENTY OF AMMUNITION.
WE HAD BETTER ARM EVER SOLDIER WE HAVE AND FORCE THEM TO CARRY THEM WITH PLENTY OF AMMUNITION. THIS SHOULD BE DONE IMMEDIATELY.
TRUMP IS THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSON TO RUN THIS COUNTRY AT THIS TIME? IF ALLOWED TO HOLD OFFICE. I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE 6 YEAR TERM LIMITS FOR ALL POLITICIANS. GIVE TRUMP 12 YEARS, I DO NOT BELIEVE ANYONE CAN STRAIGHTEN THIS MESS OUT IN 6.
IS OBAMA AND HILLIARY PLANNING AN INVASION WITH HIS MUSLIM COMRADES NEXT YEAR TO STAY IN POWER? I THINK SO.
WHY HAS FEMA BUILT HUGE CAMP IN EAST KENTUCKY? THIS IS A FACT AND IT HAS ARMED GUARDS. COULD IT BE TO HOUSE A MUSLIM ARMY????? THIS HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY A PERSON LIVING 7 MILES FROM THIS CAMP.
ARE THERE 35 MUSLIM TRANING CAMPS HERE IN THE USA & ONE 8 MILES OVER IN MEXICO? I THINK SO.
WHY DID OUR GOVERNMENT TRY AND BUY UP ALL AMMUNITION WITH OUR TAX MONEY? WAS IT TO SUPPLY AN INVADING ARMY? I THINK SO. WHERE IS THIS AMMUNITION AT TODAY?
WHY IS OBAMA BRINGING IN UN TROOPS TO POLICE OUR MAJOR CITIY’S? COULD THIS BE PART OF A PLAN TO INVADE THIS COUNTRY? I THINK SO.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF AN INVASION HAPPENS? WOULD THERE BE A NEW PRESIDENT? I DO NOT THINK SO.
WHY IS OBAMA AND HILIARY TRYING TO TAKE OUR GUNS? COULD IT BE TO KEEP US FROM FIGHTING AN INVASION? I THINK SO.
WOULD IT NOT BE BETTER IF EVERY PERSON HAD A GUN, WITH PLENTY OF AMMUNITION, IF WE WERE INVADED? I THINK SO.
WHY IS OBAMA, KERRY AND HILLIARY. BRINGING IN 260 THOUSAND YOUNG MUSLIMS? COULD IT BE FOR AN IVASION? I THINK SO.
WHY WAS A SHIPPMENT OF OVER 120 PLANES & OVER 100 TANKS TO EGYPT STOPPED AFTER THE ARMY KICKED THE RADICAL MULIMS OUT OF CONTROL LAST YEAR? WAS THE SHIPMENT TO HELP THE RADICALS? I THINK SO.
WAKE UP AMERICA, YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ANYTHING YET.
WHY DID OUR GOVERNMENT GIVE 5 TOP TERRIOST FOR ONE TRAITOR? WAS OBAMA PROTECTING HIS COMRADES. I THINK SO.
DID YOU BELIEVE OBAMA WHEN HE SAID ON NATION WIDE TV THAT HE WAS A MUSLIM? I BELIEVE THIS IS THE ONLY TRUTH HE HAS SAID.
DO YOU BELIEVE OBAMA TO BE BLACK? HIS MOTHER WAS WHITE, HIS DAD A NORTH AFRICA ARAB.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS GOVERNMENT HAS FORCED ISRAEL TO NUKE IRAN? I THINK SO. I ALSO BELIEVE A NORTHEN ARMY WILL COME DOWN AND ATTACK ISRAEL AND GOD, NOT ISRAEL WILL DESTROY 3/4TH OF THAT ARMY IN THE VALLEY THERE.
WHY HAS BLACK AMERICA TURNED AGAINST THE PARTY THAT FREED THE SLAVES.
LINCOLN WAS A REPUBLICAN, HE AND THOUSANDS OF WHITES DIED TO FREE THE SLAVES.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE DEMOCRATS STARTED THE KKK. I KNOW SO.
WHAT IS THE TRUE REASON RUSSIA IS GATHERING AN ARMY THERE, COULD IT BE TO TRY AND STOP ISRAEL. I THINK SO.
WHY ARE OUR TROOPS NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE GUNS AND AMMUNITION? COULD IT BE TO KEEP THEM FROM STOPPING AN INVASION? I THINK SO.
I COULD TAKE 100 ARMED MUSLIMS AND TAKE OVER ANY UNARMED MILITARY BASE, IF YOU WAS PREPAIRED TO KILL EVERY ONE ON THAT BASE AS MUSLIMS DO. IF SO, WHAT COULD YOU DO WITH 260 THOUSAND OR MORE.
ANALYZE THESE QUESTIONS AND MAKE UP YOUR MIND ON WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY AND PREVENT A UNBELIVABLE BLOOD BATH IF ALL OF THE ABOVE IS RIGHT.
EMAIL THIS TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICAN OR INDEPENDENTS.
Interesting information. Keep telling more.
The Bible already predicts some of what Mr. Flatt has said above will happen. I am sure you can see which parts. It has been alarming to realize that possibly the reason the bible doesn’t mention the united states when it mentions Israel’s future might be exactly what Mr. Flatt is saying above. If the USA is completely invaded and taken over then Revelation of the Bible might be right to not mention it. The Bible does mention Russia attacking Israel as Mr. Flatt has said and God does destroy Russia as the BIBLE SAYS. What is the best way to overcome all of this yourself, you say? Nothing we can do , but god is faithful and he already provided a way for you to get to heaven. His son died on the cross so just accept Him as your savior and you will go to heaven when the Muslin invasion takes over the USA. They will obviously kill you so why not go to heaven and get away from this mess.
When you hear about the Muslims and the beheading they perform, can’t help but think how the Bible talks about believers being beheaded in the last days.
french need a no mercy approach to the muslim terrorists. Root them out and exterminate. They want to exterminate FRance, treat them likewise! make life so miserable for ALL muslims that they leave. The enclaves that are NO GO, burn to the ground. Exterminate the vermin who murder unarmed people.
Obama wrote in his book, Dreams From My Father, “when push comes to shove, I will always stand with the Muslims”, and it looks like that is what he is doing. This man is a criminal, and should never have been elected president of the USA. By the time we see him leave office, we will be lucky to have a country.