Two dead as French police raid Paris suburb seeking terror suspect
An early morning raid in a Paris suburb Wednesday appeared to target Abdelhamid Abaaoud,聽the alleged mastermind of Friday鈥檚 terrorist plot, and has led to the arrests of seven people and the deaths of two. But Mr.聽Abaaoud wasn't located, according to officials.聽
Loud gunshots and occasional explosions rippled through the neighborhood of St. Denis, starting around 4:30 a.m. and lasting several hours. One woman, cornered by police, blew herself up , Radio France International reports. The raid was launched on attack was 鈥渋n the works,鈥� reports The Washington Post.
Police and squares, weapons raised, calling for bystanders to hit the ground this morning. Some residents were evacuated 鈥� still wearing their pajamas 鈥� and schools were closed. French newspaper Le Monde wrote that St. Denis this morning, to the sounds of helicopters, gun shots, and the sight of camouflaged trucks and heavily armed security forces.
The聽neighborhood is known for its diversity and large Muslim population.聽鈥淭his is a city that has 130 different nationalities, including people who come from war zones. We are a population ,鈥� Didier Paillard, the mayor of St.-Denis, told The New York Times.
Scores of raids have been conducted in Paris since Friday's deadly attacks, which left nearly 130 people dead. And 128 raids took place across France last night alone, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told聽.
Amid the search for terror suspects, Europe鈥檚 growing migrant population has come under the microscope. The discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one of the suicide bombers Friday has many concerned that the attacks will spark a backlash against the migrants flowing across the continent, 海角大神 reports.
Migrants have emerged as the scapegoats of the Paris attacks after news broke that a perpetrator of the rampage may have entered France via the migrant trail. The revelation has further stressed a Europe whose sense of solidarity and identity has been profoundly tested by the sheer volume of refugees crossing its borders. Right-wing politicians and heads of state in Europe 鈥� now joined by state governors in the United States 鈥� are calling for doors and borders to be closed鈥�.
鈥淭he days of unchecked immigration and illegal entry can鈥檛 continue," Bavaria's Finance Minister Markus S枚der said over the weekend. "Paris changes everything.鈥�
Others are fighting back against this sentiment, noting that the attacks in Paris represent the very terror and violence most migrants are fleeing in the first place.
Ali Isar, a refugee from Afghanistan, at a migrant camp in northern France told The Monitor that the Paris attacks only confirmed his desire to flee his home.聽鈥淚t鈥檚 unbelievable what happened in Paris,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary that there is this terrorist group in France now too.鈥�
The mood in the Calais migrant camp, home to some 6,000 refugees and known as the 鈥淛ungle鈥�, shifted this weekend after the Paris attacks, reports The Monitor.
Around 200 camp residents from a handful of nationalities took a few moments inside the activities tent, a white dome perched on a mound of dirt, to pray for the victims of the Paris attacks聽on Friday鈥�.
But while changes to immigration policy and threats of closed borders may be on the horizon, most residents of the camp say they will still find a way to continue on their journey. Going back home isn't an option for them. Even with the approaching winter, an increasingly unbearable living situation, and limited prospects for either crossing into the UK or claiming French asylum, most say being at the Jungle is still better than returning home.聽
鈥淲e feel old. We鈥檙e tired of this life,鈥� says Nazhad, whose family sleeps three to a bed in the small camper they鈥檝e been given in the Iraqi section of the camp. 鈥淏ut of course France is better than Iraq. In Iraq there are always bombs. So no, we will stay here.鈥�
