Paris attack mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud DEAD after 6-hour raid yields two dead terrorists and seven in custody

'Lots of windows on the street were shattered, and then the firefight started and it was going on nonstop'

French President François Hollande announced seven suspected terrorists have been detained and two have been killed, following a violent operation in Saint-Denis, Paris on Wednesday. It is believed Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind behind the Paris terror attacks, is among those either killed or captured. Two senior intelligence officials have announced Abaaoud is dead.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Paris prosecutor  François Molins announced phone surveillance and testimony indicated Abdelhamid Abaaoud may have been hiding in Saint-Denis, a northern Paris suburb. 

Following a tip came in that another terrorist attack was set to launch on the city's business district, La Defense, authorities launched an operation that involved 110 SWAT teams and special forces swarming Saint-Denis at 4:25 a.m., in a raid that led them to an apartment that had been under surveillance since Tuesday. The raid led them to another apartment further down the same street.

The persecutor's office announced one female suspect "with long blonde hair," believed to be wanted terrorist Salah Abdeslam's wife or cousin, allegedly fired an AK-47 at police before activating her suicide vest, killing herself before she could be detained.

Lotfi, a 50-year-old witness, said: "I heard police officers talking to a woman with long blonde hair. I think she was the kamikaze. They told her not to lower her arms, to keep her hands up in the air, and then there was a massive explosion. I think that's when she detonated her bomb. It really was a very loud explosion.

"Lots of windows on the street were shattered, and then the firefight started and it was going on nonstop." Lotfi also witnessed the death of seven-year-old police dog Diesel, who was killed when the woman detonated the bombs.

While the confrontation between French authorities and the blonde woman was taking place, another suspect was killed by a grenade when confronting authorities. 

Footage of the raid, captured by nearby citizens and news cameras outside the apartment complex, has been released to the public. In one video, authorities corner a man and in English and an officer can be heard shouting, "On your knees! Show me your back!" When the suspect takes to the floor with his hands behind his head, the officer again cries, "show me your back!" The man slowly stands and turns away while the video captures officers, standing behind riot shields, approach to arrest him.

In another video, two officers crouch beside another suspect who is injured and lying on the ground. 

Molins released information that two of the suspected Jihadis attempted to "hide in the rubble" of the block following the gunfire, grenade and suicide bombing.

Pictures taken by Gloria Mukenga, a witness who snapped the photos from her home nearby, shows a third suspect tackled to the floor in the deserted shopping mall Marche de Saint Denis, where he is then handcuffed and confined to a police car.

Mukenga said, "We were woken up by an explosion. We went to the window. There was gun shots for about 30 minutes. There was no police in sight. Finally they arrived. The armed police took up positions around the square. They made everybody in the square put their hands up. We heard people crying out."

Witnesses said their street was "turned into a warzone" during the operation which included at least seven large explosions and hours of intense machine gun fire. 

A woman identifying herself only as Sabrine, told France 2, "We could see the bullets. We could feel the building shaking."

Riad Moudache, a local resident was stopped by the police and told to evacuate during the raid, and hurried home to collect his 3-year-old daughter. He said, "I'm just worried about my child. My priority now is to protect her."

Another resident, who lives a street away from the raided building, told CNN, "When you think of Saint-Denis, you don't think of terrorists. I'm shocked! Why would the terrorists pick this neighborhood?"

After the six-hour siege, police reported five French officers suffered minor injuries, with one shot in the foot and caught in pictures and video being carried away from the scene. 

One of the suspects is 30-year-old Jawad Ben Dowt, who is believed to have rented the apartment to the terrorists. Dowt admitted he handed the apartment to two men "who came from Belgium" two days ago. "A friend of mine asked me to host two of his buddies for a few days," he admitted in an interview under the apartment on Rue de Corbillon.

"I said there was no mattress, they told me 'it's okay,' they just wanted water and to pray. My friend said they were from Belgium. I was asked to do a favour and I said yes. I was not aware that it was terrorists." Following this statement, Dowt was handcuffed and French policemen escorted him away.

Counterterrorism and intelligence officials say investigators discovered cell phones they believe belonged to the suspects. The officials discovered encrypted apps on the phones, which left no trace of messages or indications of who would have received them, but a message sent before the Friday attacks essentially said, "OK, we're ready." No further information has been released.

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