Update Nov. 18, 3:41 a.m. EST:
UPDATE: 5 suspects arrested in raids targeting Paris mastermind, Paris prosecutor tells @ABC #GMA40
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 18, 2015
Update Nov. 18, 3:27 a.m. EST:
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind of Friday's Paris attacks, is presumed dead, according to sources, but CNN is awaiting confirmation.
The operation is officially over, but it is "winding down," according to a reporter on CNN, and another operation in a secondary location is also underway.
Update Nov. 18, 3:15 a.m. EST:
At 9:15 a.m. local time, schools and public transportation are closed and residents are still urged to stay indoors.
Update Nov. 18, 2:41 a.m. EST:
The man who lent the apartment to the terror suspects has been arrested, according to BFMTV. "A friend asked me to host two of his buddies for a few days," he told AFP, wishing to remain anonymous. "I said there was no mattress, they told me 'it's OK', they just wanted water and to pray. ... (My friend) said they were from Belgium. I was asked to host. ... I was not aware that it was terrorists."
Three suspected terrorists were killed and three were arrested in the raid, according AFP, although CNN reports a total of five arrests. It has been confirmed that three police officers were wounded during the siege.
Update Nov. 18, 2:23 a.m. EST:
The raid has ended, according to Julien Theron, a political scientist speaking to CNN.
The raid was declared complete at 8 a.m. local time, according to BFMTV, leaving at least three officers wounded and two terrorists and one civilian dead. According to reports, two arrests were made and one suspect is possibly wounded inside in the building.
François Hollande, Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve have been "kept informed in real time," according to CNN affiliate BFMTV, and are standing by. Police instructions are still in force.
Update Nov. 18, 2:20 a.m. EST:
One civilian was killed during the course of the raid. One suspect remains inside the apartment building, according to CNN, so the raid is ongoing.
Update Nov. 18, 2:15 a.m. EST:
One woman blew herself up in an apparent - and "unprecidented" - suicide bombing and at least one suspect remains alive inside the apartment, according to a televised report by CNN.
Update Nov. 18, 2 a.m. EST:
Abdelhamid Abaaoud is believed to be the main target of the operation, but police have not confirmed it yet, according to a televised report by the Guardian. Authorities previously reported that Abaaoud fled to Syria. Believed to be trapped with him in the apartment are Salah Abdeslam and another unidentified suspect.
Click here for more on Abaaoud.
Update Nov. 18, 1:53 a.m. EST:
The operation in Saint-Denis has been ongoing for more than three hours and there are least three military trucks present in the area, according to the Guardian. Reports say one individual has been killed and three police officers are injured.
It is 7:53 a.m. in France and the sun has come up. School in the area has been cancelled, and there is speculation that daylight will "level the playing field," according to CNN's broadcast.
Update Nov. 18, 1:39 a.m. EST:
Update Nov. 18, 1:29 a.m. EST:
Heavily armed officers have arrived at the scene are are being moved to the front lines. Four explosions were heard by a reporter for CNN, who is live on the scene, and reporters have been asked to move back. "They seem to be looking for something in particular," Atika Shubert commented.
"The mayor of Saint-Denis, Didier Paillard said on CNN affiliate BFM-TV that a number of suspects had been pinned down in a building by police in full assault gear," CNN reported earlier. Police have thus far declined to comment on the possibly injured officers.
--
A French police officer was wounded during a raid in Saint Denis, a suburb north of Paris, during the hunt for suspects involved in the recent Paris attacks. The present condition of the wounded police officer remains unknown.
#BREAKING Police hurt during anti-terrorist raid in northern Paris: source — Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 18, 2015
French police believed that a number of armed people are trapped inside a flat which has been the main target of the raid, according to the Guardian. This raid is believed to be a search for the eighth suspect in the Paris attacks who is identified as Salah Abdeslam, according to the Mirror U.K. The identity of the ninth suspect remains unknown.
Residents of Saint-Denis were alerted to the raid after a heavy exchange of gunfire. The shooting began at approximately 4:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday (0330 GMT). Sirens continued until 5:30 a.m., according to RT. Residents posted videos of that they witnessed on social media.
#ParisAttacks tirs entendus à proximité de #SaintDenis #Paris ce matin vers 4h30!!! @BFMTV @itele @FRANCE24 pic.twitter.com/UlVtHMsDAv — M0M0 22 محمد (@RealMomo22) November 18, 2015
French #RAID commandos in a huge firefight with terrorists in Saint Denis suburb of Paris. pic.twitter.com/N4mmPAkf11 — Jeff Gauvin (@JeffersonObama) November 18, 2015
Police have blocked the roads in the area. Subway traffic has been halted between Saint-Denis University and Saint-Denis-Porte de Paris for security purposes, according to Le Parisien. Residents are also advised to stay indoors and away from windows, according to a televised report by CNN.
Police barricade in #SaintDenis #gunfire heard @RuptlyNewsroom pic.twitter.com/KErPEi2ZQ0 — Rafaela Freitas (@rafaelapfreitas) November 18, 2015
Stade de France, located in Saint-Denis, is where one of the attacks occurred on Friday night that killed one person and injured thirty other people. according to CNN.
After 128 terror raids were conducted all over France on Tuesday morning, French police discovered massive loads of artillery; subsequently, 104 people were placed under house arrest while 23 others were called in for questioning.
