That was, until the bloody raid in the Paris suburb of St. Denis revealed the gaping holes in Europe’s system of open borders that allowed him to infiltrate France under the noses of the intelligence services across the Continent.
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The story supplied by French officials on the brazen and carefully coordinated assaults per week past on France’s national stadium and Paris cafes, eateries and a theatre raises disturbing questions regarding how Europe could be slipped into by a desired militant already suspected of participation in multiple schemes undetected.
At least 129 people were killed and hundreds wounded in the shootings and suicide bombings that targeted a concert hall, bars and restaurants and the Stade de France national stadium a week ago.
“It was a big surprise when the intelligence came in”, said a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
His possible presence in the Saint Denis flat was part of the reason for the November 18 police assault.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said a few of the attackers had taken advantage of Europe s migrant crisis to “slip in” unnoticed and warned the cherished passport-free Schengen zone would be in danger if the bloc did not improve border controls.
Abaaoud was traced to the apartment through phone taps and surveillance, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said.
The body of a second woman has been found in the rubble of an apartment where the Paris attacks ringleader was killed during a seven-hour siege.
A handbag was found in the debris containing a passport in the name of Hasna Ait Boulahcen.
In a statement released yesterday, the Paris prosecutor’s office said that Abaaoud’s body was found in the Saint-Denis building riddled with bullets.
It is unclear whether the fire from the police snipers set off her suicide vest or if Aitboulahcen did it herself. As gunshots rang out, an officer was heard shouting: “Where is your boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” On Thursday, two French officials told ABC News that Aitboulahcen was the woman who detonated her suicide belt during the raid.
On Wednesday, the French authorities said they had carried out more than 414 raids across the country, arrested 64 people and placed another 118 under house arrest.
Authorities initially gave Abaaoud’s age as 27, but on Thursday, Paris prosecutors said he was 28.
French police believed Abaaoud himself was then still in the country, though they didn’t know exactly where.
French authorities are investigating if Abaaoud was involved in an attempted attack on a high-speed train, where three young Americans tackled a heavily-armed man, Mr Cazeneuve said.
It is there that he met another Molenbeek youth, Salah Abdeslam – one of the Paris attackers, now on the run – with whom he served a jail term in 2011 after a violent robbery. An unnamed senior Turkish government official says Turkey contacted France about Mostefai in December 2014 and June 2015 but only got a return request for information on him after the Paris attacks.
How and when France was entered by Abaaoud before his death remained uncertain.
On the other hand, France is eager to take down the Islamic State group by “stepping up” its airstrikes on suspected terrorist headquarters in Syria.
Abaaoud was the subject of an global arrest warrant issued by Belgium – where a court had in July sentenced him in absentia to 20 years in prison for recruiting militants for Syria.
Greek police sources said the arrests were made because the Belgian authorities believed that Abaaoud was calling associates in Belgium from Greece.
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Michel fought back against criticism of his country’s security services after French President Francois Hollande said the Paris attacks were planned in Belgium.
