Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Paris attacks: Police seek 'dangerous' Salah Abdeslam

by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Paris

16 minutes ago



Police have issued a photograph of a French national wanted in connection with Friday's deadly attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead.
The man, named as Salah Abdeslam, 26, is described as dangerous.
Reports say he had already been identified as the renter of a car used in the attack when he and two others were stopped by police near the Belgian border.
The officers apparently let him go after checking his ID.
Late on Sunday, French aircraft struck the IS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.
Live updates
What we know
Seven attackers, two of whom had lived in Belgium, died during a series of assaults in the city, officials said.
President Francois Hollande had described Friday's attacks in Paris as an act of war - and promised that France's reaction would be pitiless.
Ten fighter jets operating out of French bases in Jordan and the UAE dropped 20 guided bombs on a command centre, recruitment centre for jihadists, a munitions depot and a training camp for fighters, the ministry said.
Media captionVideo released by the French Ministry of Defence shows military aircraft departing on their mission
The attack was carried out in co-ordination with US forces.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the attacks had been prepared "by a group of individuals based in Belgium" who had "benefited from accomplices in France".
The attackers targeted bars and restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France, the country's main sports stadium.
France is marking three days of national mourning. On Sunday, a memorial service was held at Notre Dame cathedral.
Meanwhile panic broke out at the Place de la Republique, where hundreds of people had gathered to honour the victims.
Crowds ran over flowers and candles. Police - who cleared the square - later said people may have mistaken the sound of firecrackers for gunfire.
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Media captionFootage from Seb Snow shows Eagles of Death Metal on stage before a hail of gunfire

The investigation so far

On Sunday, the discovery of a suspected abandoned getaway car in Montreuil, east of Paris, fuelled suspicion that at least one suspect had escaped.
French police appealed for information about Salah Abdelslam but warned people not to approach him. Unnamed officials said he was one of three brothers linked to the attack.
The Seat car found in Montreuil is believed to have been used by gunmen who opened fire on people in restaurants on Friday, police say.
A number of AK47 rifles were found in the car, French media quote judicial sources as saying.
The Seat and another car used by the attackers - a VW Polo - were rented in Belgium. The Polo was found near the Bataclan concert venue, where 89 people were killed.
One of the Paris attackers lived in Brussels and another in the nearby town of Molenbeek, Belgian prosecutors said on Sunday, without naming either.
A total of seven men had been arrested in Molenbeek, they added. Not all are being held in direct connection with the Paris attacks.
A brother of Salah Abdelslam was said to be among them, while another brother is reported to be one of the seven dead attackers.
The only dead attacker to be named so far is a 29-year-old Frenchman, Ismail Omar Mostefai. He had a criminal record and had been flagged up as a possible Islamist extremist by French intelligence.
The investigation so far
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Analysis: Gordon Corera, security correspondent, BBC News

French investigators are pursuing an international trail that stretches across Europe - and one concern for security services in other countries is how far Islamic State has already put in place the ability to replicate the Paris attacks.
There are unconfirmed reports that a similar style attack might have been planned in Turkey for the same time but was foiled.
Tracing back the Paris operatives to whoever organised them will be crucial in order to understand what else might be planned.
These attackers do not appear to have been people simply inspired by IS, but rather trained operatives.
And the fact that Western intelligence services do not appear to have picked up any signs of this plot from their human and electronic sources will only increase concerns.
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The Archbishop of Paris, Andre Vingt-Trois, says mass at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris 15/11/2015Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Mass was said at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in homage to the victims
People gather at a makeshift memorial site on November 15, 2015, outside the La Belle Equipe cafe, rue de Charonne,Image copyright AFP
Image caption There were also gatherings at attack sites, such as here outside the Belle Equipe cafe, to remember victims
Armed police move in to secure area as panic spreads at Place de La Republique 15/11/2015Image copyright AFP
Image caption But there were also scenes of panic in some places after false alarms
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At the scene: Mark Mardell, BBC News, Paris

Suddenly our waiter urged us to get up and get in the back of the café. We were thinking Paris was getting back to normal, sitting in a packed in the Marais area, about to pay the bill. We were wrong.
A young woman came in, clearly shaken, trying to catch her breath. She said somebody had told her there was a man with a gun on the streets.
She'd been told to get inside. Something was happening in the nearby Place de La Republique. No, she hadn't seen a gun. No, she hadn't heard any shots. But, yes, she was petrified.
The metal shutters, came down, the lights were switched off. We were told to get down on the floor. "No, lower: lie down. Keep quiet. Whisper."
It lasted about half an hour, this twilight of frightened disbelief. People called the emergency number and the all clear came through. The waitress told me it reminded her of stories about the war.
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Media captionWho was Paris attacker Ismail Mostefai?
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Attack sites:

La Belle Equipe, 92 rue de Charonne, 11th district - 19 dead in gun attacks
Le Carillon bar and Le Petit Cambodge restaurant at rue Alibert, 10th district - 15 dead in gun attacks
La Casa Nostra restaurant, 92 rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 11th district - five dead in gun attacks
Stade de France, St Denis, just north of Paris - explosions heard outside venue, three attackers and bystander dead
Bataclan concert venue, 50 Boulevard Voltaire, 11th district - 89 dead when stormed by gunmen
Map

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