French police kill three suspects in Saint-Denis raid

French police kill three suspects in Saint-Denis raid Al Jazeera Three suspects linked to Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris died after French police raided two separate sites in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of the French capital, sources told Al Jazeera. The suspects were shot by police, the sources said, as Reuters news agency reported that a female suspect killed herself by detonating a vest rigged with explosives. The identity of the casualties was not immediately released. However, French media said the target of the operation was Belgian national Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a key suspect of Friday’s attacks, in which at least 129 people were killed. Another suspect, Salah Abdeslam, was also said to be a target in the raids. Police said some of the suspects were holed up in an apartment in the suburb early on Wednesday. Three police officers were wounded in an initial shootout, sources told Al Jazeera. Residents of the area in northern Paris first reported hearing bursts of gunfire at 4:30am (3:30 GMT), as police exchanged fire with one or more suspects. After a short lull in the operation, at least seven explosions were heard at 6:30 GMT, Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland reported from the scene. Heavily armed special police units and ambulances were gathering at the scene as a helicopter was hovering over the area, Al Jazeera’s Rowland reported. “Saint-Denis is a relatively poor area, housing many immigrants. It is near the area of the national stadium Stade de France, where suicide bombers claimed several lives during Friday’s attacks,” Rowland said. Police were telling onlookers to clear the vicinity of the operation and blocked off a street in the area, as ambulances and fire engines lined the streets a stone’s throw from the centre of Saint- Denis. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA