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Paris attacks: French police hunt 'dangerous' Salah Abdeslam In wake of Paris attacks, France launches 'massive' airstrikes against Isis
(about 2 hours later)
French police have released a wanted notice for an attacker who perpetrated a bloody wave of suicide bombings and shootings in Paris, as evidence mounted of a sophisticated, multinational terror operation with links to at least three European countries and the Middle East. France launched “massive” air strikes against the Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria on Sunday as French and Belgian police hunted a fugitive who was among the perpetrators of Friday’s bloody wave of suicide bombings and shootings in Paris.
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Salah Abdeslam, a 26-year-old man born in Brussels, is thought to be one of three French brothers living in Belgium who were involved in the attacks, which killed at least 129 people. More than 350 people were injured and more than 90 are still in a critical condition. As evidence mounted of a sophisticated, multinational terror operation with links to at least three European countries and the Middle East, 12 French aircraft including 10 fighter jets dropped a total of 20 bombs on a jihadi training camp and munitions dump in the city of Raqqa.
French media reported that one of the brothers, named as Ibrahim, died in the onslaught. A French defence ministry statement said the strike, launched in coordination with US forces from airfields in Jordan and the Persian Gulf, was the biggest since France extended its bombing campaign against the extremist group to Syria in September.
Another brother, thought to be Salah, who rented a Belgian-registered VW Polo parked outside the Bataclan concert hall where 89 people died, was stopped briefly by police on the French-Belgian border early on Saturday. He is now on the run, and described by police as dangerous. In Paris, French police released a wanted notice for Salah Abdeslam, a 26-year-old man born in Brussels, thought to be one of three French brothers living in Belgium who were involved in the attacks, which killed 129 people and left more than 350 injured, including nearly 100 critically. Belgian police also issued an international arrest warrant in Abdeslam’s name.
A third brother – as yet unnamed – was arrested in Brussels, where at least seven men have been detained since Saturday for questioning by Belgian police. It’s not clear whether he was arrested as a suspected attacker or an accomplice. In an missed opportunity likely to prove embarrassing for the French authorities, Salah and two men he was travelling with in a Volkswagen Golf were pulled over by police in a routine check near the French-Belgian border early on Saturday morning, just hours after the attacks, police said.
Investigators earlier found three Kalashnikov automatic rifles and quantities of ammunition inside a second Belgian-registered car, a black Seat Leon, reportedly rented to one of the brothers and used in the onslaught before being abandoned on a street in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil. They were allowed to continue their journey because none of their names were yet on any wanted list. Salah, who rented a Belgian-registered VW Polo parked outside the Bataclan concert hall where 89 people died, is now on the run, and described by police as dangerous.
It also emerged on Sunday that Iraqi intelligence warned of imminent assaults by Islamic State on countries fighting against them in Iraq and Syria, “through bombings or assassinations or hostage taking in the coming days”, a day before the Paris attacks. Related: Paris attacks: France responds with airstrikes against Isis in Syria – live
French media reported that another of the brothers, named as Ibrahim, died in the onslaught. The third brother – as yet unnamed – was arrested in Brussels, where at least seven men have been detained since Saturday for questioning by Belgian police. It is not clear whether he was arrested as a suspected attacker or an accomplice.
Investigators earlier found three Kalashnikov automatic rifles and quantities of ammunition inside a second Belgian-registered car, a black Seat Leon, reportedly rented to one of the brothers and used in Friday’s attacks before being abandoned on a street in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil.
As signs increasingly pointed to a Belgian-run terror cell, Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, and the Paris prosecutor both noted that the attack had been planned and masterminded from Belgium. The country’s prime minister, Charles Michel, accepted that Brussels had “now understood there is a link between the Paris attacks and Belgium”.
It also emerged on Sunday that Iraqi intelligence warned of imminent assaults by Islamic State on countries fighting against them in Iraq and Syria, “through bombings or assassinations or hostage taking in the coming days”, a day before the Paris attacks – at the Stade de France, the packed Bataclan concert hall and a string of cafes and restaurants in the French capital’s north-eastern 10th and 11th arrondissements.
A senior French security official told the Associated Press that French intelligence received these kinds of warnings “all the time” and “every day.” But Iraqi intelligence officials said they had warned France about specific details.
These included the allegation that the attackers were trained for this operation and had been sent from Raqqa back to France, where they met a sleeper cell that helped them carry out their plan. In all, 24 people were involved: 19 attackers and five others in charge of logistics and planning. None of these details have so far been corroborated by French or western intelligence agencies, AP said.
The New York Times, citing French and US officials, reported that the attackers communicated “at some point beforehand” with Isis members in Syria.The New York Times, citing French and US officials, reported that the attackers communicated “at some point beforehand” with Isis members in Syria.
Two more of the seven suicide bombers who died in the assaults – at the Stade de France, the packed Bataclan and a string of cafes and restaurants in the French capital’s north-eastern 10th and 11th arrondissements – had also been identified, police said, without confirming their names. Two more of the seven suicide bombers who died in the assaults had also been identified, police said, without confirming their names.
The Paris public prosecutor, François Molins, said in a separate statement that at least three French suicide bombers were involved in the attacks, two of them living in the Belgian capital. The Washington Post named another suicide bomber as Bilal Hadfi, whose nationality was not known but who was thought to have fought in Syria.The Paris public prosecutor, François Molins, said in a separate statement that at least three French suicide bombers were involved in the attacks, two of them living in the Belgian capital. The Washington Post named another suicide bomber as Bilal Hadfi, whose nationality was not known but who was thought to have fought in Syria.
In a sign of the jumpy atmosphere in Paris since the attacks, the deadliest in France since the second world war, crowds gathered at the Place de République scattered in panic on Sunday evening, prompting armed police to rush into the square. It proved a false alarm, possibly caused by a firework. In a sign of the jumpy atmosphere in Paris since the attacks, the deadliest in France since the second world war, people who had gathered at the Place de République scattered in panic on Sunday evening, prompting armed police to rush into the square. It proved a false alarm, possibly caused by a firework.
The first of the killers to be formally identified was earlier named as Omar Ismaïl Mostefai, 29, from Courcouronnes, south of Paris. Seven of Mostefai’s relatives, including his father and brother, were being questioned by French police on Sunday, a judicial source confirmed. The first of the killers to be formally identified was earlier named as Omar Ismaïl Mostefai, 29, from Courcouronnes, south of Paris. Seven of Mostefai’s relatives, including his father and brother, were being questioned by French police, a judicial source confirmed.
Related: Why Syrian refugee passport found at Paris attack scene must be treated with cautionRelated: Why Syrian refugee passport found at Paris attack scene must be treated with caution
As it became clear that the carnage – claimed by Isis as revenge for France joining US-led airstrikes against its forces in Syria and Iraq – involved a multinational team with links to the Middle East, Belgium and possibly Germany, the investigation widened to several European countries.As it became clear that the carnage – claimed by Isis as revenge for France joining US-led airstrikes against its forces in Syria and Iraq – involved a multinational team with links to the Middle East, Belgium and possibly Germany, the investigation widened to several European countries.
Most of the Belgian arrests were made in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, a hotbed of radicalism in the country that proportionately has supplied more fighters for Isis than any other in Europe and harboured several other Islamist attackers, including Ayoub el-Khazzani, 25, whose attack on a high-speed Thalys train in August was narrowly averted, and Mehdi Nemmouche, who killed three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014.Most of the Belgian arrests were made in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, a hotbed of radicalism in the country that proportionately has supplied more fighters for Isis than any other in Europe and harboured several other Islamist attackers, including Ayoub el-Khazzani, 25, whose attack on a high-speed Thalys train in August was narrowly averted, and Mehdi Nemmouche, who killed three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014.
The Serbian interior ministry said a Syrian passport found near the body of one of the suicide bombers was used by a refugee entering the country on 7 October, four days after being registered on the Greek island of Leros. It was not known whether the passport was real or fake.The Serbian interior ministry said a Syrian passport found near the body of one of the suicide bombers was used by a refugee entering the country on 7 October, four days after being registered on the Greek island of Leros. It was not known whether the passport was real or fake.
The ministry said the 25-year-old man, whom they identified as AA but was named by the Serbian newspaper Blic as Ahmed Almuhamed, had requested asylum. A Greek newspaper, Protothema, said he was travelling with a second man, Mohammed Almuhamed, and reproduced what it said were their travel documents.The ministry said the 25-year-old man, whom they identified as AA but was named by the Serbian newspaper Blic as Ahmed Almuhamed, had requested asylum. A Greek newspaper, Protothema, said he was travelling with a second man, Mohammed Almuhamed, and reproduced what it said were their travel documents.
The eastern Aegean island of Leros has been a transit point this summer for thousands of refugees and migrants entering Europe. Greece confirmed the Syrian passport had been registered in Leros, but officials warned there was as yet no evidence linking it to the attacker, pointing out that the person holding it may not have been its legitimate owner, or it could be a fake. The eastern Aegean island of Leros has been a transit point this summer for thousands of refugees and migrants entering Europe. Greece confirmed the Syrian passport had been registered in Leros, but officials warned there was no evidence linking it to the attacker, pointing out that the person holding it may not have been its legitimate owner or it could be a fake.
Amid calls from several countries for the EU’s borders to be radically tightened in the face of the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the bloc’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, stressed at a G20 summit in Turkey that the “man responsible for the attacks in Paris … he is a criminal, and not a refugee and not an asylum seeker.”Amid calls from several countries for the EU’s borders to be radically tightened in the face of the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the bloc’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, stressed at a G20 summit in Turkey that the “man responsible for the attacks in Paris … he is a criminal, and not a refugee and not an asylum seeker.”
The EU also said it would hold a special meeting of its interior and justice ministers next Friday to assess the impact of the Paris attacks. The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, asked for the meeting, saying “our battle against terrorism must be, more than ever, steadfast”, and must be reinforced at the European level. The EU said it would hold a special meeting of its interior and justice ministers next Friday to assess the impact of the Paris attacks. The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, asked for the meeting, saying “our battle against terrorism must be, more than ever, steadfast”, and must be reinforced at the European level.
In Germany, authorities were looking into a possible link to a 51-year-old Montenegrin man recently stopped with a car full of arms and explosives. The Bavarian interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said officers found automatic weapons, dynamite, hand grenades and ammunition in the man’s car, along with a mobile phone and car GPS system indicating he was en route to Paris.In Germany, authorities were looking into a possible link to a 51-year-old Montenegrin man recently stopped with a car full of arms and explosives. The Bavarian interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said officers found automatic weapons, dynamite, hand grenades and ammunition in the man’s car, along with a mobile phone and car GPS system indicating he was en route to Paris.
Announcing three days of national mourning and a national state of emergency, President François Hollande called the coordinated assault – “prepared, organised and planned overseas, with help from inside” – an “act of war” that must be countered “mercilessly”. Announcing three days of national mourning and a national state of emergency, the French president, François Hollande, called the coordinated assault – “prepared, organised and planned overseas, with help from inside” – an “act of war” that must be countered “mercilessly”.
Related: Parisians reclaim their streets as survivors recall terror of massacreRelated: Parisians reclaim their streets as survivors recall terror of massacre
Notre Dame Cathedral, closed except for services, held a special commemorative mass on Sunday evening for the victims – who came from 15 different countries – their families and survivors. More than 20 victims of the attacks have yet to be identified, said the French prime minister, Manuel Valls. Notre Dame Cathedral, closed except for services, held a special commemorative mass on Sunday evening for the victims, who came from 15 different countries, their families and survivors. More than 20 victims of the attacks have yet to be identified, said the French prime minister, Manuel Valls.
Major sites including the Louvre and the Eiffel tower were also closed to visitors, while 10,000 troops were deployed across France in the country’s first national state of emergency since 1961, and armed police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Paris. Major tourist attractions including the Louvre and the Eiffel tower were closed to visitors, while 10,000 troops were deployed across France in the country’s first national state of emergency since 1961 and armed police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Paris.
Mostefai, 29, who had a record of petty crime and had been flagged as a potential target for radicalisation as early as 2010, was identified by his severed finger, which was found among the wreckage of the Bataclan concert hall where three militants blew themselves up in the first suicide bombings on French soil late on Friday as security forces stormed the building. Mostefai, 29, who had a record of petty crime and had been flagged as a potential target for radicalisation as early as 2010, was identified by his severed finger, which was found among the wreckage of the Bataclan concert hall where three militants blew themselves up in the first suicide bombings on French soil as security forces stormed the building.
Members of the U2 laid flowers at a makeshift memorial near the hall on Sunday. The rock group had been due to perform in Paris on Saturday, but cancelled the concert following the attacks. Members of U2 laid flowers at a makeshift memorial near the hall on Sunday. The rock group had been due to perform in Paris on Saturday, but cancelled the concert following the attacks.
Homes and other addresses were being searched in the Aube region, the Essonne region south of Paris, where Mostefai was born in the town of Courcouronnes, and in Eure-et-Loire, the region where he had attended a mosque in Lucé, close to Chartres. A French MP, Jean-Pierre Georges, said the attacker had lived in Chartres until 2012.Homes and other addresses were being searched in the Aube region, the Essonne region south of Paris, where Mostefai was born in the town of Courcouronnes, and in Eure-et-Loire, the region where he had attended a mosque in Lucé, close to Chartres. A French MP, Jean-Pierre Georges, said the attacker had lived in Chartres until 2012.
Related: UK police and security services help in hunt for Paris attackersRelated: UK police and security services help in hunt for Paris attackers
The attacks prompted international outrage, with Barack Obama telling the G20 summit that the “skies have been darkened by the horrific attacks that took place in Paris”. The US president said the country would “redouble our efforts, working with other members of the coalition, to bring about a peaceful transition in Syria and to eliminate” Isis.The attacks prompted international outrage, with Barack Obama telling the G20 summit that the “skies have been darkened by the horrific attacks that took place in Paris”. The US president said the country would “redouble our efforts, working with other members of the coalition, to bring about a peaceful transition in Syria and to eliminate” Isis.
Pope Francis said he was shaken by the “inhuman” atrocities, while David Cameron said they suggested “a new degree of planning and coordination and a greater ambition for mass casualty attacks”.Pope Francis said he was shaken by the “inhuman” atrocities, while David Cameron said they suggested “a new degree of planning and coordination and a greater ambition for mass casualty attacks”.
The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, however, said France’s foreign policy had plainly “brought no good to the French people” and that Hollande should now “act in the interest of the French people – which means changing his policies”.The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, however, said France’s foreign policy had plainly “brought no good to the French people” and that Hollande should now “act in the interest of the French people – which means changing his policies”.
The onslaught came as France was preparing, amid tight security, for a global climate conference next month, to be attended by world leaders, and barely 10 months after the shootings at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Jewish supermarket in Paris that left 20 people dead.The onslaught came as France was preparing, amid tight security, for a global climate conference next month, to be attended by world leaders, and barely 10 months after the shootings at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Jewish supermarket in Paris that left 20 people dead.
Isis claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in a statement released online on Saturday, blaming France’s participation in US-led airstrikes against its forces and positions in Syria.Isis claimed responsibility for the latest attacks in a statement released online on Saturday, blaming France’s participation in US-led airstrikes against its forces and positions in Syria.
Related: Paris attacks galvanise international efforts to end Syria warRelated: Paris attacks galvanise international efforts to end Syria war
France “remains the main target of Islamic State … for having led the crusade, dared to insult our prophet, boasted of fighting Islam in France and for striking Muslims in the caliphate with their planes”, the group said in a statement.France “remains the main target of Islamic State … for having led the crusade, dared to insult our prophet, boasted of fighting Islam in France and for striking Muslims in the caliphate with their planes”, the group said in a statement.
Three of the suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Stade de France after apparently trying to enter the national stadium where 80,000 people – including Hollande, who had to be evacuated – were watching a France-Germany football friendly.Three of the suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Stade de France after apparently trying to enter the national stadium where 80,000 people – including Hollande, who had to be evacuated – were watching a France-Germany football friendly.
Two more attackers detonated their explosive vests at the Bataclan, where a third was shot dead by police. The seventh jihadi blew himself up not far from the venue.Two more attackers detonated their explosive vests at the Bataclan, where a third was shot dead by police. The seventh jihadi blew himself up not far from the venue.
A number of restaurants and cafes, their terraces packed on a mild November evening, were targeted by the gunmen: 12 victims died at a Cambodian restaurant near the Canal St Martin, while 19 were killed at another eatery on the nearby rue de Charonne.A number of restaurants and cafes, their terraces packed on a mild November evening, were targeted by the gunmen: 12 victims died at a Cambodian restaurant near the Canal St Martin, while 19 were killed at another eatery on the nearby rue de Charonne.