The man responsible for the Paris attacks last weekend was confirmed dead by French authorities this morning.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud was identified by his fingerprints collected at the scene in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. His body was found “riddled with impacts,” according to the prosecutor’s statement.
The operation started with shootings at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. It resulted in the initial arrest of three people inside an apartment. At that point, a woman triggered a suicide vest.
Police fired nearly 5,000 rounds during the Saint-Denis raid, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said Wednesday, adding that it was a particularly difficult raid because the apartment had an armored door.
Investigators were led to the apartment building in Saint-Denis after reviewing cellphone records and surveillance video indicating that Abbaoud, previously thought to be in Syria, was staying there, Molins said.
Molins said the blast from the suicide bomber caused the building to partially collapse, which has added to the amount of time needed to conduct the investigation because officials have had to reinforce the walls before collecting more evidence.
