Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind behind the Paris attacks, is confirmed to have been killed in a pre-dawn raid at Saint-Denis north of Paris Wednesday, officially eliminating a key member from ISIS' ranks.
Abaaoud was identified through fingerprints and skin samples taken from his body, a prosecutor revealed in a statement, according to The Telegraph.
He was initially thought to be in Syria, but French investigators soon had mounting suspicions that he had managed to return to Europe. Abaaoud had left his home country of Belgium in 2014 to fight alongside the Islamic State but had been known to have returned to Europe at least one time since then.
French prosecutor Francois Molins said that the operation began at 4:20 a.m., following through on initial suspicions, after phone taps and surveillance following a tip-off on Monday led police to believe that Abaaoud was, indeed, in France, The Guardian reported.
The entire third floor of the building at 8, rue du Corbillion collapsed during Wednesday's raid when Hasna Aitboulachen, Abaddoud's cousin, blew herself up, resulting in identification taking longer than expected, said Georges Salines, deputy commander of elite RBI police unit.
Despite the momentous victory, Abaaoud's presence in France highlights security gaps in Europe, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"If Abaaoud could move between Syria and France, it means there are gaps in the entire European security system," he told French radio.
