A number of people have been killed, including a woman who blew herself up with a suicide belt, and several police officers injured, in an armed stand-off in the Paris suburb of St Denis.
The besieged flat is thought to have contained at least six terrorists, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the “mastermind” behind Friday’s killing of 132 people. Adaaoud has previously boasted of how he has been “able to stay in their homeland, plan operations against them and leave safely”, under the noses of the European authorities.
Salah Abdeslam, who is one of the three Belgian brothers who has been on the run, and is thought to have been a driver in the attacks, was also reportedly targeted in the raid.
Paris prosecutors have released a statement confirming that one woman was killed after she activated an explosive device, thee people that were inside the apartment have been arrested and another man and woman arrested near the apartment.
The raid began at around 4:00 in the morning, with a series of explosions heard, and sustained gunfire for at least an hour. The army arrived on scene at around 6:30 in the morning, as the sun was rising. Around 50 troops were deployed, RTL reports.
“There were grenades. It was going, stopping. Kalashnikovs. Starting again,” Saint Denis resident Amin Guizani told AP.
The suburb of Saint Denis, in the North of Paris, is home to the Stade de France national stadium, which was attacked on Friday.
The stand-off appears to be ongoing. France 24 was reporting that one person is still inside the apartment at 8:30, and a Le Monde journalist reported there was continuing gun fire at the apartment at 9:10.
– 3:49 am
VIDEO: Gunshots reportedly heard in Saint-Denis area, Paris – @pmfenech pic.twitter.com/7RjIQR0z9B
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) November 18, 2015
– 4:37 am
#BREAKING: Massive #GIGN operation in #SaintDenis #Paris in search apparent 9th #ParisAttacks suspect pic.twitter.com/9JjMUBwdNs
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) November 18, 2015
– 5.04 am
#BREAKING: Mayor of Saint Denis calls residents to be careful, public transport has been stopped (PICS @LidiaPedro9) pic.twitter.com/zmwCX3nwQ6
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) November 18, 2015
– 6:17 am
Army now deployed St Denis Paris pic.twitter.com/gJc2gmhMkr
— Jonathan Rugman (@jrug) November 18, 2015
– 6:21 am
VIDEO: Ongoing police operation in #SaintDenis, where suspected #ParisAttack mastermind is hold up – @Breaking3zero https://t.co/raHsoJ452e
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) November 18, 2015
– 6:46 am
Ambiance de guerre à Saint- Denis. Militaires hurlent " arrête toi" aux voitures. Centre ville en état de siège pic.twitter.com/ndGZ1idMCE
— sylvia zappi (@sylviazappi) November 18, 2015
– 8:48 am
Police and military clog the streets of #SaintDenis following an early morning firefight with suspected terrorists. pic.twitter.com/po6yHBAfW9
— GEORGE COOTE (@RealCoote) November 18, 2015
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