The militant belonging to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) suspected of masterminding the Paris attacks was killed during a major police raid, prosecutors confirmed on Thursday, as French lawmakers voted to extend a state of emergency imposed after the carnage.
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French authorities did not know he was in Europe before the massacre, France’s interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Thursday.
Hasna Aitboulahcen, 26, and her cousin, Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaou, died during the pre-dawn raid on Wednesday.
Not only was Abaaoud in Europe, he was just outside Paris, a 15-minute walk from the Stade de France stadium where three suicide bombers had blown themselves up during the November 13 attacks that killed 129 people and wounded hundreds. “She wasn’t looking to study religion, I have never even seen her open a Koran”, her brother said.
The prosecutor’s office said it was not yet clear whether Abaaoud blew himself up.
Eight people were arrested following the raid which saw p olice fire about 5,000 rounds of ammunition as the terrorist cell barricaded themselves in the hideout.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the intelligence “led us to believe that, considering their armaments, the structured organisation and their determination, they were ready to act”.
Police said he was also behind other ISIS plots including the attempted attack on a Paris-bound train earlier this year.
Abaaoud is credited with being able to travel undetected between Syria and Europe, despite being a wanted man. It is thought he may have posed as a refugee when he last travelled back to Belgium.
The decision, to be implemented immediately but on a provisional basis until the European commission formally changes the rules, means all EU nationals entering the free passport zone can now be vetted for terrorism or criminal connections against Schengen-area and national databases.
Abaooud, also known as ‘Abou Omar the Belgian, ‘ was terminated with extreme prejudice after a rampage of terrorist attacks that spanned from the Middle East to Western Europe.
Mr. Cazeneuve said that the investigation of the Paris attacks would “establish with precision the implication of this Belgian-Moroccan citizen”, who was killed during a police raid in St.-Denis on Wednesday. “There is also the risk from chemical or biological weapons”, Valls said.
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France meanwhile has extended a state of emergency in the country for the next three months and on Friday urged European Union partners to take immediate action to tighten the region’s borders and prevent the entry of more violent extremists.
