According to reports, the Saint Denis operation by police has ended. At least two jehadists were gunned down and 8 terrorists have been arrested so far. Police sources said they were still working to secure the suburb of Saint-Denis after the six-hour raid, part of a manhunt for those linked to a devastating string of attacks on Paris late on Friday which left 129 dead.
A snapshot:
Around 04:20 am (0320 GMT): anti-terrorist police raid an apartment in Paris suburb Saint-Denis, home to the Stade de France stadium. Shooting breaks out.
04:31 am (0331 GMT): firemen say they have joined the operation against “an armed group holed up in an apartment”. Police say between two and four people are inside.
Around 05:00 am (0400 GMT): intermittent gunfire can still be heard.
05:49 am (0449 GMT): two police officers have been injured, a source close to the probe says.
07:03 am (0603 GMT): At least one person is killed in the apartment, according to a source close to the raid.
07:30 am (0630 GMT): large explosions and firing are heard.
07:40 am (0640 GMT): local authorities recommend that local inhabitants stay indoors.
07:56 am (0656 GMT): two suspected terrorist holed up in the apartment die during the police siege, including a woman who detonated an explosives vest, according to police sources. At least three police are injured in the operation.
09:17 am (0817 GMT): three men holed up inside the apartment are arrested, while a man and woman are arrested nearby, according to the prosecutor’s office.
10:00 am (0900 GMT:) a government meeting at the Elysee Palace held as the operation continues.
11:26 am (1026 GMT): police say the assault is over and that seven have been arrested, of which three in the targeted apartment, two in neighbouring apartments and another two in the neighbourhood.
There was an exchange of gunfire during the operation in Saint-Denis, according to a source close to the investigation. Reports also said that the alleged mastermind behind the attacks Abdelhamid Abaaoud was the target behind the operation. The police officials have been conducting raids across France since Tuesday and they raided at least 128 locations.
According to reports, a Police official was also injured during the anti-terrorist operation.
Addressing a conference of 34,0000 French Mayors after the Saint Denis seige was over, French President Francois Hollande said that the raids were aimed to “neutralize terrorists” linked to the recent Paris attacks.
Earlier in the day, the eyewitnesses said that at least 7 explosions were heard at the scene of a police stand off with suspects in Saint-Denis.
The police dog named Diesel is also believed to have been killed during the raid.
The official profile for Police Nationale on Twitter tweeted that Diesel, a Belgian Malinois, “was killed by terrorists in the current operation in Saint-Denis”.
“France is at war with terrorism and we are proud of the courage displayed by police involved in raid, he added.”
Les chiens d'assaut et de recherche d'explosifs: indispensables dans les missions des opérateurs du #RAID pic.twitter.com/vb5lGjnwjO
— Police Nationale (@PNationale) November 18, 2015
According to police officials Diesel is to be honoured for dying in the line of duty, after she was “blown to pieces” when the jihadi terror woman detonated her suicide vest.
One heartbroken police handler has said that it felt as if they have lost one of their colleagues.