The operation reportedly targeted Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of the terrorist acts, previously thought to have been in Syria, as well as Salah Abdeslam and a potential ninth assailant. Abdeslam is thought to have rented a vehicle used in the massacres.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has confirmed that two suspected terrorists had been killed and another seven detained during the special operation in the Parisian suburb of Saint Denis.
“Seven individuals have been detained. Two people were killed, including a woman who blew herself up [using a suicide vest],” Cazeneuve said on BFMTV television.
Meanwhile, the French prosecutor said the identities of those detained and killed were not known yet.
The French government spokesperson, Stephane Le Foll, said after a cabinet meeting that the special operation is over.
"Police confirmed that the operation was over. The police are now taking measures to ensure the security of the area," French TV channel BFMTV said.
Opération à #Saint-Denis pic.twitter.com/kGpH0nlmOS
— Arnaud Tousch (@nanotousch) 18 ноября 2015
Five law enforcers were injured during the anti-terror raid, local media reports said.
Earlier media reports cited police sources as saying that two suspects, including the female suicide bomber, were killed in the special operation.
The densely populated northern suburb where the special operation was taking place is located near the football stadium where two suicide bombers killed themselves and a bystander on November 13. Those attacks were followed by a series of mass shootings and suicide bombings at a concert hall and restaurants, killing 129 people and injuring over 350.
The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
