Two Suspected Terrorists Are Dead After Police Raid Paris Apartment
During a raid earlier today, French police caused the deaths of two suspected terrorists, and they arrested seven more.
According to Mashable, over 100 police officers moved in on an apartment in Saint-Denis, northern Paris at around 4:30 am local time in search of suspects connected to last Friday's massacre, which left 129 dead and injured hundreds more.
Among the targets was 27-year-old Belgian Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of the Paris attack.
He did not appear to have been at the apartment at the time of the raid, however, despite phone surveillance leading police to believe otherwise.
Approximately 20 residents of the building, located about a mile from the Stade de France, were evacuated to the city hall prior to the approximately seven-hour raid rife with gunfire and explosions.
An independent journalist who lives nearby reportedly told the Associated Press one barrage of gunfire lasted an entire hour.
One of the suspects, a female, died after activating a suicide belt, while a male suspect was reportedly killed by a grenade.
French media identified that woman as Abaaoud's cousin after speaking to police sources, The Guardian reports.
The arrested suspects include three men who were in the apartment and two others who were hiding under nearby debris from the explosions. Also arrested were the landlord of the apartment, who claimed he had no idea he was renting to terrorists, and a female friend.
The confirmed identities of the killed and captured suspects are yet to be released.
A passerby and five police officers suffered minor wounds, but a 7-year-old police dog named Diesel was reportedly killed by the suspects.
Police sources told CNN the suspects were "about to move on some kind of operation," so the raid was "right on time."
Video taken not far from the raid features the sounds of loud gunfire and explosions that may be unsettling for some viewers.
Police are still on the hunt for at least two terror suspects, one of whom is the brother of a Paris attacker who self-detonated.
Citations: 2 dead after early morning police raid on Paris apartment (Mashable), At least two dead in operation targeting suspected Paris attacks mastermind (The Guardian), 2 terrorist suspects killed, 7 held after raid in Saint-Denis, officials say (CNN)
