Woman in a suicide belt is killed by police

SWAT teams and special forces have surrounded an apartment in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis - close to the Stade de France - in a siege that started at 4.30am this morning.

French media are reporting the architect of the plan that killed 129 people, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, is alive and inside the flat - until now it was thought he was in Syria orchestrating the attack from ISIS capital Raqqa.

A woman jihadi is said to have fired her AK-47 at police before blowing herself up as an assault squad stormed the apartment block. A rooftop sniper is believed to have shot dead another terror suspect through a window and another is reportedly dead. Two people may been taken alive and arrested. An innocent person on the street may have been killed.

The chief suspect Salah Abdeslam, 26, who was last seen by police trying to enter Belgium in the hours after the attacks involving nine gunmen, may also be inside.

Machine gun fire and at least seven loud explosions, caused by the suicide bomber and possibly hand grenades, have been heard as the siege continues.

Police vans, fire trucks and three  rushed to the scene in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. The site is a mile from the Stade de France stadium, which was targeted by three suicide bombers during Friday's attacks.

Baptiste Marie, a 26-year-old journalist who lives near the scene of the stand-off, said: 'It started with an explosion. Then there was second big explosion. Then two more explosions. There was an hour of gunfire'.

Riot police were clearing the streets early Wednesday, pointing guns at curious residents to move them off the roads.

Mr Marie said the officers seemed nervous - ‘you could see it in their eyes, ‘ he said.

Resident Amin Guizani, 21, said: 'There were grenades. It was going, stopping. Kalashnikovs. Starting again'. 

Residents have been told to stay in their homes and away from windows and some have been moved to a temporary shelter in the town hall. Police have confirmed that several officers have been hurt. 

French media initially reported the raid is part of an ongoing operation to catch the ninth suspect involved in Friday night's terror attacks in the French capital, who is thought to be on the run.

There are also unconfirmed reports of at least one fatality, although it is not clear if it is a terrorist or a police officer.

A police official says there have been exchanges of gunfire and special SWAT teams are on the scene, which has been blocked off by dozens of police cars and vans. 

Ambulances can be seen and sirens heard in French television footage from the scene. 

BFMTV and iTele both showed amateur video of the shootings and cited witnesses in the area saying they had heard sporadic gunfire since around 4.30am

The suburb of St Denis is where the Stade de France, one of the targets of Friday's attacks, is located. On Friday three suicide bombers blew themselves up during a friendly football match.

French authorities have said they are searching for at least two people involved in last Friday's attacks, which killed at least 129 people and seven terrorists.

In all at least 129 people died in Friday's attacks, which have been claimed by the Islamist militant group ISIS. Seven militants died in the assault. Two are known to be on the run. 

Unconfirmed reports suggest at three people have been taken into custody, although it appears the siege is ongoing.

 The suburb's mayor, Didier Paillard, said transport to St-Denis has been cancelled and schools in the suburb will not open today. 

(dailymail.co.uk)