Involving over 100 police officers and French soldiers, the raid on a Paris apartment building Wednesday morning left at least two dead. While the French prosecutor, Francois Molins, has said that authorities are still waiting for forensic identification of those killed during the seven-hour siege, the Post's sources claim those tests have already confirmed the identities.
French prosecutors also say that the raids in Saint-Denis resulted in the arrest of eight individuals, but are not prepared to say how many were killed. The prosecutor has, however, confirmed that Abaaoud was not among those arrested. Abaaoud's accomplice was also not among those arrested.
Over 5,000 gunfire rounds were exchange during Wednesday morning's siege. Molins described the apartment as being protected with a reinforced door, and police squads faced constant gunfire as they attempted to enter. One woman also detonated a suicide blast during the incident. French media reports that she was identified as Hasna Aitboulahcen, Abaaoud's cousin.
"I heard gunshots, and, sometime around 7 AM, a huge blast, an explosion," Kelly Ovo, who lives near the site of the raid, told the Washington Post.
Abaaoud was the primary target of the raid, as well as others suspected of plotting a follow-up attack in the La Defense business district.
The raid was conducted based on tips received on Monday. A phone found abandoned near the Bataclan concert hall, site of Friday's hostage situation, may have also led authorities to the apartment building.
The operation also came two hours after a pair of Air France flights bound for Paris from the United States were diverted due to bomb threats. One of the aircraft departed from Los Angeles before making an emergency landing in Salt Lake City, Utah, while the other left Washington DC and was grounded in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The airline called this "a precautionary measure," and no explosive devices were found on either plane.
This was the latest in a series of police operations across both France and Belgium. On Tuesday, alone, French authorities launched 118 raids, bringing the total up to 414 since Friday's attacks. These led to 25 arrests.
