Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 28-year-old Belgian militant, who had boasted of mounting attacks in Europe for the Islamic State, was accused of orchestrating Friday’s coordinated bombings and shootings.
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A third body has been found in an apartment raided by police searching for suspects in last week’s Paris atrocity, as the French government confirmed the death toll in the attacks has risen to 130.
Abaaoud’s body was found riddled with bullets and shrapnel, BBC News reported.
Also Thursday, authorities in Belgium said they had detained nine people during as many raids in and around Brussels relating to the Paris attacks or one of the suicide bombers.
He said 400 million euros (£280 million) would be earmarked to expand the anti-terror fight, and added he wants to amend the constitution to extend the length of time terror suspects can be held by police without charge.
“It will be voluntary and police who choose to carry a weapon will have to wear an armband to distinguish themselves”, he told radio station RTL.
France’s lower house was meeting Thursday morning, the BBC said, over whether it should extend the nation’s state of emergency three more months. “There is an opening, so to speak, with the Russians”. Speaking to the European Parliament, Rob Wainwright said Paris represented a “very serious escalation”, and a “more sophisticated and threatening” enemy than ever before. But world powers remain deeply divided over the future of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who has strong backing from Moscow.
“Time and again we have seen emergency measures extended and codified until they become part and parcel of the ordinary law, chipping steadily away at human rights”, said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Director of Europe and Central Asia.
Authorities have not detailed his exact whereabouts or actions during the deadly attacks in Paris.
The IS recently warned of attacks in the United States, specifically in Washington D.C. and NY City, following the attacks in Paris.
Abaaoud was believed to be in Syria after a January police raid in Belgium, but bragged in Islamic State propaganda of his ability to move back and forth between Europe and Syria undetected.
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Officials said later that there was no reason to suspect an immediate threat of a chemical or biological attack but that Mr Valls thought it necessary to place the country on guard.
