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2nd LD writethru: At least 2 dead, 8 arrested during police raid on terrorists: Prosecutor

Xinhua, November 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

A new group of terrorists has been neutralized during a police raid on Wednesday morning in northern Paris with at least 2 terror suspects being killed and 8 arrested, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins confirmed to the press Wednesday evening during a press conference.

According to the Paris Prosecutor, the raid was carried out following a tip-off the French police received on Monday indicating the presence of Abdelhamid Abaaoud in France.

7 men and one woman were arrested during the raid. But, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Moroccan-origin Belgian jihadist who was believed to be the mastermind behind Friday night's attacks, and another important suspect, Salah Abdeslam, hunted since Nov. 15, were not among the 8 arrested, Molins confirmed.

Among the 7 arrested men, the Paris prosecutor said the identification of three men are underway.

However, Washington Post announced, before the press conference of the prosecutor, that Abaaoud was killed by the police during the raid.

At least two suspects were killed by the police during the operation, including a woman, who blew herself up at the beginning of the raid, and a man whose identity has not been confirmed yet.

Molins also said that five police officers were injured during the raid.

The raid on fugitive terrorists was launched at 0420 local time (0320 GMT) in city center of Saint-Denis in northern Paris, a few hundred meters away from Stade de France where three suicide bombing took place last Friday.

Witnesses told BFMTV they heard "explosions" and "gunshots" since 0430 local time (0330 GMT). Gunshots could also be clearly heard from the Xinhua office, about six kilometers away. Endit