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Heavy Gunfire Erupts as French Police Seek Suspects in Raid Heavy Gunfire Erupts as French Police Seek Suspects in Raid
(about 1 hour later)
PARIS — The police stormed the northern Paris suburb of St.-Denis before dawn Wednesday morning in a raid aimed at capturing at least two fugitives accused of in the terrorist attacks that killed 129 people in Paris on Friday. PARIS — The police stormed the northern Paris suburb of St.-Denis before dawn Wednesday morning in a raid aimed at capturing at least two fugitives suspected in the terrorist attacks that killed 129 people in Paris on Friday.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said that the target of the raids was Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the Belgian militant suspected of organizing the attacks, but it could not confirm that Mr. Abaaoud was in the apartment.
The prosecutor’s office also could not confirm reports in the French news media that two fugitives holed up in the apartment had died in the raid, including one woman who detonated an explosive vest.
There was conflicting information from French authorities about the raid. Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, speaking to Europe 1 radio, said that the police operation was ending, but French police said shortly afterward on Twitter that the raid was continuing.
Heavy gunfire erupted around 4 a.m., the suburb’s mayor, Didier Paillard, and residents told a French television channel, iTélé, and it lasted at least 20 minutes. Helicopters flew overhead, and the authorities warned people to stay indoors.Heavy gunfire erupted around 4 a.m., the suburb’s mayor, Didier Paillard, and residents told a French television channel, iTélé, and it lasted at least 20 minutes. Helicopters flew overhead, and the authorities warned people to stay indoors.
“It was really like guerrilla warfare,” a resident named Pierre-Eric told BFM TV.“It was really like guerrilla warfare,” a resident named Pierre-Eric told BFM TV.
The raid appeared to focus on an apartment near Place Jean Jaurès, a main square in St.-Denis not far from the Stade de France, where three of the seven attackers who died on Friday blew themselves up. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the raid but could not provide immediate details, except that an unspecified number of men, holed up in an apartment, were being targeted.The raid appeared to focus on an apartment near Place Jean Jaurès, a main square in St.-Denis not far from the Stade de France, where three of the seven attackers who died on Friday blew themselves up. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the raid but could not provide immediate details, except that an unspecified number of men, holed up in an apartment, were being targeted.
“Security instructions: do not go out onto the street in this area,” St. Denis officials said on Twitter, adding that the Rue de la République, the Rue Cornillon and the Rue Chaumettes had been cordoned off.“Security instructions: do not go out onto the street in this area,” St. Denis officials said on Twitter, adding that the Rue de la République, the Rue Cornillon and the Rue Chaumettes had been cordoned off.
A second round of gunfire and explosions were reported just before 7:30 a.m.A second round of gunfire and explosions were reported just before 7:30 a.m.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve joined President François Hollande at the Élysee Palace on Wednesday morning to monitor the operation as it continued to unfold.
At least two fugitives are at large: one whose existence was confirmed by intelligence officials on Tuesday night, and Salah Abdeslam, 26, a Frenchman who was believed to have escaped to Brussels.At least two fugitives are at large: one whose existence was confirmed by intelligence officials on Tuesday night, and Salah Abdeslam, 26, a Frenchman who was believed to have escaped to Brussels.
In addition to the two fugitives, the authorities were seeking the man suspected of organizing the attacks: a Belgian militant named Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is 27 or 28. In addition to the two fugitives, the authorities were seeking Mr. Abaaoud, a Belgian militant suspected of organizing the attacks.
On Tuesday, French and American intelligence officials said they believed that Mr. Abaaoud was in Syria with fellow Islamic State militants, but on Wednesday morning, several TV stations, citing unnamed police sources, said that Mr. Abaaoud might be one of the men holed up in St.-Denis.On Tuesday, French and American intelligence officials said they believed that Mr. Abaaoud was in Syria with fellow Islamic State militants, but on Wednesday morning, several TV stations, citing unnamed police sources, said that Mr. Abaaoud might be one of the men holed up in St.-Denis.
Seven attackers died on Friday night in a closely coordinated series of attacks that lasted three hours.Seven attackers died on Friday night in a closely coordinated series of attacks that lasted three hours.
Some of the attackers rented a house in the northeast Paris suburb of Bobigny last week, telling the landlady they were businessmen from Belgium, and a hotel suite in the southeast Paris suburb of Alfortville, officials said.Some of the attackers rented a house in the northeast Paris suburb of Bobigny last week, telling the landlady they were businessmen from Belgium, and a hotel suite in the southeast Paris suburb of Alfortville, officials said.
Early Tuesday, 10 French fighter jets, taking off from bases in Jordan and the Persian Gulf, dropped 16 bombs on what the French Defense Ministry described as an Islamic State command center and training center in the group’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, Syria. Hours later, Russia carried out an attack on Raqqa with cruise missiles and long-range bombers, after acknowledging that a terrorist bomb brought down a Russian jetliner over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt — a hotbed of Islamic State activity — on Oct. 31.Early Tuesday, 10 French fighter jets, taking off from bases in Jordan and the Persian Gulf, dropped 16 bombs on what the French Defense Ministry described as an Islamic State command center and training center in the group’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, Syria. Hours later, Russia carried out an attack on Raqqa with cruise missiles and long-range bombers, after acknowledging that a terrorist bomb brought down a Russian jetliner over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt — a hotbed of Islamic State activity — on Oct. 31.
France, through its defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, took the extraordinary step on Tuesday of invoking a European Union treaty that obliges members to help any member that is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory.”France, through its defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, took the extraordinary step on Tuesday of invoking a European Union treaty that obliges members to help any member that is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory.”
President François Hollande took steps to shore up global support for what he has called a war to annihilate the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. He met with Secretary of State John Kerry, who expressed sympathy but reiterated the Obama administration’s view that the group would not be destroyed until Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, leaves power. Mr. Hollande took steps to shore up global support for what he has called a war to annihilate the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. He met with Secretary of State John Kerry, who expressed sympathy but reiterated the Obama administration’s view that the group would not be destroyed until Syria’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad, leaves power.
Mr. Hollande will visit Washington and Moscow next week to meet with Mr. Obama and the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin. In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament that the Paris attacks had strengthened the case for intervening against the Islamic State in Syria, a move that Parliament rejected in 2013.Mr. Hollande will visit Washington and Moscow next week to meet with Mr. Obama and the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin. In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament that the Paris attacks had strengthened the case for intervening against the Islamic State in Syria, a move that Parliament rejected in 2013.
On France’s third and final day of national mourning, crowds gathered to light candles and lay flowers at the Place de la République and at makeshift memorials at the sites of the attacks. In the southwestern city of Toulouse, thousands gathered in the central square, waving French flags and singing “La Marseillaise,” the national anthem.On France’s third and final day of national mourning, crowds gathered to light candles and lay flowers at the Place de la République and at makeshift memorials at the sites of the attacks. In the southwestern city of Toulouse, thousands gathered in the central square, waving French flags and singing “La Marseillaise,” the national anthem.
“The terrorists want to erase everything: culture, youth, life, and also history and memory,” Mr. Hollande said in a speech at a Unesco conference in Paris.“The terrorists want to erase everything: culture, youth, life, and also history and memory,” Mr. Hollande said in a speech at a Unesco conference in Paris.
“You do not fight against terrorism by hiding, by putting your life on hold, by suspending economic, social and cultural life, by banning concerts, theater, sports competitions,” he said. “We will not yield to terrorism by suspending our way of life.”“You do not fight against terrorism by hiding, by putting your life on hold, by suspending economic, social and cultural life, by banning concerts, theater, sports competitions,” he said. “We will not yield to terrorism by suspending our way of life.”
Many Parisians and visitors followed his advice, flocking to restaurants, cafes and museums in an effort to carry on with normal life. But the country continued to reel from the attacks, the worst violence on French soil in decades. Officials said the bodies of 117 of the 129 people killed had been positively identified; 221 of the 352 people injured remained in hospitals, 57 in intensive care.Many Parisians and visitors followed his advice, flocking to restaurants, cafes and museums in an effort to carry on with normal life. But the country continued to reel from the attacks, the worst violence on French soil in decades. Officials said the bodies of 117 of the 129 people killed had been positively identified; 221 of the 352 people injured remained in hospitals, 57 in intensive care.
The country remained under a state of emergency, as developments in the investigation emerged in a steady trickle.The country remained under a state of emergency, as developments in the investigation emerged in a steady trickle.
In the morning, the authorities seized a black Renault Clio with Belgian license plates in the 18th Arrondissement on the northern edge of Paris, next to the suburb of St.-Denis, where three suicide bombers detonated their explosives during a soccer game at the Stade de France. Authorities are looking into the possibility that the vehicle might have been intended for yet another attack.In the morning, the authorities seized a black Renault Clio with Belgian license plates in the 18th Arrondissement on the northern edge of Paris, next to the suburb of St.-Denis, where three suicide bombers detonated their explosives during a soccer game at the Stade de France. Authorities are looking into the possibility that the vehicle might have been intended for yet another attack.
On Tuesday night, the authorities released a photo of one of the stadium bombers — who used a Syrian passport to enter Greece last month, evidently posing as a migrant — and asked for the public’s help in identifying him. The passport was probably stolen, and the identity on the passport page — Ahmad al-Mohammad, 25, of Idlib, Syria — may be that of a dead Syrian soldier, the French official said.On Tuesday night, the authorities released a photo of one of the stadium bombers — who used a Syrian passport to enter Greece last month, evidently posing as a migrant — and asked for the public’s help in identifying him. The passport was probably stolen, and the identity on the passport page — Ahmad al-Mohammad, 25, of Idlib, Syria — may be that of a dead Syrian soldier, the French official said.
The authorities said the car had been seen — it was not clear when, or who drove it — on the A1 highway, which connects the suburbs of Paris with the northeastern city of Lille, about a dozen miles from the Belgian border.The authorities said the car had been seen — it was not clear when, or who drove it — on the A1 highway, which connects the suburbs of Paris with the northeastern city of Lille, about a dozen miles from the Belgian border.
In Belgium, the authorities put the country at its highest alert level. They charged two men — Hamza Attou, 21, a Brussels native, and Mohamed Amri, 27, who was born in Morocco — with participating in a terrorist activity, saying they had driven Mr. Abdeslam, the fugitive, from Paris to Brussels.In Belgium, the authorities put the country at its highest alert level. They charged two men — Hamza Attou, 21, a Brussels native, and Mohamed Amri, 27, who was born in Morocco — with participating in a terrorist activity, saying they had driven Mr. Abdeslam, the fugitive, from Paris to Brussels.
The two men frequented a bar owned by Mr. Abdeslam and his brother Ibrahim, who blew himself up at a restaurant on Friday in one of the attacks. The brothers lived in the Brussels district of Molenbeek, also the base for Mr. Abaaoud, the Belgian believed to have planned the attacks. A third brother, Mohamed, who was not involved in the assaults, publicly appealed on Tuesday for Salah to turn himself in.The two men frequented a bar owned by Mr. Abdeslam and his brother Ibrahim, who blew himself up at a restaurant on Friday in one of the attacks. The brothers lived in the Brussels district of Molenbeek, also the base for Mr. Abaaoud, the Belgian believed to have planned the attacks. A third brother, Mohamed, who was not involved in the assaults, publicly appealed on Tuesday for Salah to turn himself in.
“We are a family, we are thinking about him, we are wondering where he is, if he is scared, if he is feeding himself,” Mohamed Abdeslam told the French news channel BFM TV in Brussels. “The best would be for him to surrender so that the justice system may shed light on this situation.”“We are a family, we are thinking about him, we are wondering where he is, if he is scared, if he is feeding himself,” Mohamed Abdeslam told the French news channel BFM TV in Brussels. “The best would be for him to surrender so that the justice system may shed light on this situation.”
Salah Abdeslam was stopped at a traffic check in the French town of Cambrai on Saturday morning, as he headed toward the Belgian border, but was then waved through after showing identification.Salah Abdeslam was stopped at a traffic check in the French town of Cambrai on Saturday morning, as he headed toward the Belgian border, but was then waved through after showing identification.
The Austrian police disclosed on Tuesday that Mr. Abdeslam was also stopped during a routine police check in northern Austria on Sept. 9 — four days after Germany and Austria opened their borders to refugees streaming in via Hungary. He crossed into Austria from Germany in a car with two men who have not been identified, and told the police that he would be spending a few days on vacation in Austria, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.The Austrian police disclosed on Tuesday that Mr. Abdeslam was also stopped during a routine police check in northern Austria on Sept. 9 — four days after Germany and Austria opened their borders to refugees streaming in via Hungary. He crossed into Austria from Germany in a car with two men who have not been identified, and told the police that he would be spending a few days on vacation in Austria, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
Mr. Kerry, in a hastily arranged trip to Paris to show solidarity, said the United States and France had no choice but to wage war against the Islamic State, the apocalyptic militant group that purports to have restored a caliphate, or a global Muslim community under a single leader.Mr. Kerry, in a hastily arranged trip to Paris to show solidarity, said the United States and France had no choice but to wage war against the Islamic State, the apocalyptic militant group that purports to have restored a caliphate, or a global Muslim community under a single leader.
“This is just raw terror to set up a caliphate,” Mr. Kerry said before meeting separately with Mr. Hollande and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. “This is not a situation where we have a choice. We’re not choosing to randomly go to war. We’re trying to avoid it, trying to find a better path.”“This is just raw terror to set up a caliphate,” Mr. Kerry said before meeting separately with Mr. Hollande and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. “This is not a situation where we have a choice. We’re not choosing to randomly go to war. We’re trying to avoid it, trying to find a better path.”
At least four Americans were wounded in the attacks on Paris, and one, Nohemi Gonzalez, died.At least four Americans were wounded in the attacks on Paris, and one, Nohemi Gonzalez, died.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told France Info radio that the police had conducted 128 raids in France overnight against terrorism suspects. He also said 115,000 police officers and troops had been deployed across the country “to ensure the protection of the French.” Mr. Cazeneuve told France Info radio that the police had conducted 128 raids in France overnight against terrorism suspects. He also said 115,000 police officers and troops had been deployed across the country “to ensure the protection of the French.”