PARIS – Nov. 18 (UPI) ─ At least two suspects in the terrorist attacks on Paris died and another seven were arrested in a police raid early Wednesday in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, French police said.
More than 100 heavily armed police and soldiers raided an apartment in Saint-Denis where at least six suspects, possibly among them the mastermind of the attack, were holed up. One woman died when she detonated an explosive belt. At least four police officers were injured.
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There were unconfirmed reports up to three people died in the 20-minute shoot-out. Four men and a woman were taken into custody.
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Multiple explosions and gunfire were heard as truckloads of soldiers and police closed in on the building, located in the same district as the Stade de France, where suicide bombers struck on Friday.
Public transportation was shut down in the area, schools were closed and residents were told to stay indoors.
The main target of the raid was Abdelhamid Abaaoud, police said. Abaaoud is suspected of being the mastermind of the attacks that killed 129 people. The Islamic State –also called ISIS, Daesh or ISIL– have claimed responsibility for the attack. It is unclear if he was arrested or killed.
“I’ve been hearing gunshots continuously, like fireworks,” resident Benson Hoi told the BBC. “There have been some breaks but to me it sounds like continuous gunshots.”
The arrests come one day after police detained and released seven suspects near Aachen, Germany, after it was determined they had no close connection to the Paris attacks.
