2 Killed ,7 Arrested In Raids Targeting Paris Attack Mastermind

18 November, Paris

Explosions and heavy gunfire were heard in Paris this morning as armed police searching for suspects from Friday’s attacks raided a flat in the suburb of Saint-Denis.

Two people were killed in the raid, including a female suspect who blew herself up with a suicide belt. Seven people have been arrested.

The French government confirmed the seven-hour raid has now ended. The focus of the raid was the alleged mastermind of Friday’s attacks that killed 129 people. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin, was originally suspected of organising Friday’s attacks from Syria.

French President Francois Hollande has said the Islamic State group is threatening the whole world and the entire power of the government is to be put towards protecting French people against terrorists.

Speaking to an assembly of French mayors this evening he said a robust legal framework is needed to confront the circumstances and to reestablish control of the frontiers. Mr. Hollande said the concept of the terrorists is to plunge France into division. He said France will remain a country of liberty and culture.

Meanwhile, the Islamic-State-linked Furat media group has released a new French-language video celebrating the Paris attacks and threatening more violence against France.

BBC Monitoring reports that the film features three French-speaking militants saying the attacks were carried out in revenge for the suffering of Muslims at French hands. The video also features an Islamic State French-language anthem.