Police are hunting a suspect they believe was “directly involved” in Friday’s attacks in Paris, in which seven suicide attackers died. They are searching for Salah Abdeslam, 26, who is thought to have rented the black Volkswagen Polo used in the attack on the Bataclan concert hall. Salah is the brother of Ibrahim Abdeslam, who detonated his suicide vest outside the Comptoir Voltaire cafe, seriously injuring a bystander and killing himself.
There have been 150 police raids across France overnight. Anti-terrorism raids have taken place under state of emergency powers in Toulouse, Grenoble, Jeumont (on the French-Belgian border), and the Paris suburb of Bobigny. Several arrests have been reported, with buildings searched. Weapons were reportedly seized in Toulouse. In Lyon, French media reported that police have seized a rocket launcher and arrested five suspects.
France’s prime minister, Manuel Valls, has warned new terror attacks are being planned in France and other European countries following the carnage in Paris. “We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too,” he said, speaking on France’s RTL radio station.
On Sunday, 10 French fighter jets destroyed two Islamic State sites in Raqqa, Syria, in response to the killings. The first target was a command post, recruitment centre and arms depot. The second a training camp.
The attackers
Four of the attackers have been named: Salah Abdeslam, who is on the run; his brother Ibrahim Abdeslam; and Omar Ismaïl Mostefai, who both died in suicide attacks. Another has been identified as Bilal Hadfi, aged 19 or 20, who lived in Belgium.
Everything we know so far about the attackers is here. A profile of Omar Ismaïl Mostefa, the first gunman to be named, is here.
In the hours after the attacks, French police stopped Salah Abdeslam and two other men close to the border with Belgium – but allowed them to go on their way because their names were not yet on any wanted list.
There has been speculation about the possibility one of the attackers posed as a refugee and travelled on a Syrian passport via Greece. The full facts have yet to emerge and assertions linking the attacks and the refugee crisis are being treated with caution.
The victims and the investigation
More than 103 of the 129 victims of the attacks have been identified, leaving 26 as yet unnamed. An official list has yet to be circulated. Dozens of those injured remain in a critical condition in hospital.
An area of particular interest to police has been a district in Brussels called Molenbeek. Seven people were arrested there over the weekend in raids. The area has the highest concentration in Europe of jihadi foreign fighters going to fight in Syria and Iraq.
The attacks have spurred the search for a lasting resolution in Syria. The US, Russia, Britain, France, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a statement on Saturday supporting a 1 January deadline for talks to start between the Syrian government and opposition, with the aim of agreeing a ceasefire by 14 May.
In the wake of the attacks, many public places and events were closed off or cancelled respectively. The status of political, entertainment and sporting events is here, though please do check directly with the venue in case of any last-minute alterations.
The international nature of the attacks sparked a security sweep across the US, which found no credible threat, and an increase in spending on security, particularly in relation to aviation, and intelligence in the UK.
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