'mastermind' of Paris attacks, was killed in police raid: French prosecutors
The suspected mastermind of the attacks that killed 129 in Paris was among those killed in a police raid in a suburb of the French capital on Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 28-year-old Belgian militant, who had boasted of mounting attacks in Europe for the Islamic State, was accused of orchestrating Friday's coordinated bombings and shootings.
Police originally thought he was in Syria, but their investigations led them to a house in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis and heavily armed officers stormed the building before dawn, triggering a massive firefight and multiple explosions.
"Abdel Hamid Abaaoud has just been formally identified, after comparing fingerprints, as having been killed during the (police) raid," the statement said. "It was the body we had discovered in the building, riddled with bullets."
At least two bodies were found in the apartment in Saint-Denis after a seven-hour shootout and siege with elite police units.
A woman in the apartment detonated her suicide vest and a body was found so riddled with bullets that made it difficult to identify, the prosecutor had earlier said.
With France still reeling from the Friday attacks that killed 129 people and wounded hundreds of others, Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that Islamic extremists might at some point use chemical or biological weapons, and urged lawmakers to extend a national state of emergency by three months.
"Terrorism hit France not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria ... but for what it is," Valls told the lower house of Parliament. He added, "We know that there could also be a risk of chemical or biological weapons."
Valls did not say there was a specific threat involving such weapons. Elsewhere in Europe, jittery leaders and law enforcement moved to protect their populations as Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union's police coordination organization Europol, warned of "a very serious escalation" of the terror threat in Europe.
In Italy, foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said law enforcement was searching for five people flagged by the FBI in response to a US warning about potential targets following the attacks that killed 129 people and wounded hundreds in the French capital.
The State Department issued a warning Wednesday that St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Milan's cathedral and La Scala opera house, as well as churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels had been identified as "potential targets."
Danish and Norwegian police were asked to be on the lookout for a man Swedish authorities said is wanted in connection with an investigation into "preparation for a terrorist offense." Sweden's Security Service, known as SAPO, said the request was not linked to the Paris attacks.
In Belgium, where many of the Paris attackers lived, Prime Minister Charles Michel announced a package of additional anti-terror measures, and said 400 million euros ($427 million) would be earmarked to expand the fight.
He told lawmakers that security personnel will be increased and special attention will be paid to eradicating messages of hate. He also called for more international cooperation, and said he wants to amend the Belgian constitution to extend the length of time terror suspects can be held by police without charge.
"All democratic forces have to work together to strengthen our security," Michel said.
In Belgium, authorities launched six raids in the Brussels region on Thursday linked to Bilal Hadfi, one of the three suicide bombers who blew themselves up outside the Stade de France.
An official in the Belgian federal prosecutor's office told The Associated Press the raids were taking place in the suburb of Molenbeek and other areas of Brussels. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing, said the actions were focusing on Hadfi's "entourage."
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius urged the international community to do more to eradicate the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for last Friday's attacks on a rock concert, Parisian cafes and the national stadium.
Fabius, speaking on France-Inter radio, said the group "is a monster. But if all the countries in the world aren't capable of fighting against 30,000 people (IS members), it's incomprehensible."
Read More Here- Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 'mastermind' of Paris attacks, was killed in police raid: French prosecutors - Times of India
The suspected mastermind of the attacks that killed 129 in Paris was among those killed in a police raid in a suburb of the French capital on Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 28-year-old Belgian militant, who had boasted of mounting attacks in Europe for the Islamic State, was accused of orchestrating Friday's coordinated bombings and shootings.
Police originally thought he was in Syria, but their investigations led them to a house in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis and heavily armed officers stormed the building before dawn, triggering a massive firefight and multiple explosions.
"Abdel Hamid Abaaoud has just been formally identified, after comparing fingerprints, as having been killed during the (police) raid," the statement said. "It was the body we had discovered in the building, riddled with bullets."
At least two bodies were found in the apartment in Saint-Denis after a seven-hour shootout and siege with elite police units.
A woman in the apartment detonated her suicide vest and a body was found so riddled with bullets that made it difficult to identify, the prosecutor had earlier said.
With France still reeling from the Friday attacks that killed 129 people and wounded hundreds of others, Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that Islamic extremists might at some point use chemical or biological weapons, and urged lawmakers to extend a national state of emergency by three months.
"Terrorism hit France not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria ... but for what it is," Valls told the lower house of Parliament. He added, "We know that there could also be a risk of chemical or biological weapons."
Valls did not say there was a specific threat involving such weapons. Elsewhere in Europe, jittery leaders and law enforcement moved to protect their populations as Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union's police coordination organization Europol, warned of "a very serious escalation" of the terror threat in Europe.
In Italy, foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said law enforcement was searching for five people flagged by the FBI in response to a US warning about potential targets following the attacks that killed 129 people and wounded hundreds in the French capital.
The State Department issued a warning Wednesday that St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Milan's cathedral and La Scala opera house, as well as churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels had been identified as "potential targets."
Danish and Norwegian police were asked to be on the lookout for a man Swedish authorities said is wanted in connection with an investigation into "preparation for a terrorist offense." Sweden's Security Service, known as SAPO, said the request was not linked to the Paris attacks.
In Belgium, where many of the Paris attackers lived, Prime Minister Charles Michel announced a package of additional anti-terror measures, and said 400 million euros ($427 million) would be earmarked to expand the fight.
He told lawmakers that security personnel will be increased and special attention will be paid to eradicating messages of hate. He also called for more international cooperation, and said he wants to amend the Belgian constitution to extend the length of time terror suspects can be held by police without charge.
"All democratic forces have to work together to strengthen our security," Michel said.
In Belgium, authorities launched six raids in the Brussels region on Thursday linked to Bilal Hadfi, one of the three suicide bombers who blew themselves up outside the Stade de France.
An official in the Belgian federal prosecutor's office told The Associated Press the raids were taking place in the suburb of Molenbeek and other areas of Brussels. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing, said the actions were focusing on Hadfi's "entourage."
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius urged the international community to do more to eradicate the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for last Friday's attacks on a rock concert, Parisian cafes and the national stadium.
Fabius, speaking on France-Inter radio, said the group "is a monster. But if all the countries in the world aren't capable of fighting against 30,000 people (IS members), it's incomprehensible."
Read More Here- Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 'mastermind' of Paris attacks, was killed in police raid: French prosecutors - Times of India
