Police targeted the flat in Saint-Denis in a search for the alleged mastermind of Friday’s gun and bomb attacks in Paris, when 129 people were killed. The fate of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, previously thought to be in Syria, is still unclear.

Prosecutor Francois Molins said intelligence indicated he was in Paris. All victims of Friday’s attacks – which targeted a concert hall, cafes and the Stade de France stadium and were claimed by the so-called islamic State group – have now been identified, the government said.

The operation in Saint-Denis – where the Stade de France is located – began at 04:20 (03.20 gmt). Speaking from the scene afterwards, Mr. Molins said it had been ordered after phone taps and surveillance operations suggested Abaaoud, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, could be there.

The prosecutor said a young woman – said by France’s BFMTV to be a relative of Abaaoud – had detonated her explosives belt soon after the raid began. Another suspect was killed by grenades and police bullets, Mr. Molins said.

Five members of the raid Police Anti-Terrorism Unit were lightly injured while a raid “Assault Dog”, a seven-year-old Belgian shepherd called diesel, was killed. Three men were arrested in the apartment. Two others were found hiding in rubble and a further two – including the man who provided the lodging – were also detained, he said. He did not give the identities of those detained.

(BBC)