Wednesday, November 18, 2015: French police undertook a major raid in the Parisian suburb of Saint Denis against suspects of the Paris attacks, as investigations led to new clues linking accomplices to the terrorists. Several of the suspects have been surrounded by the police in a building, but the authorities refrained from giving a specific number.
As the investigation continues, new clues have been gathered as to what mode of communication the terrorists used before the attacks. In the latest updates, a cell phone used by one of the terrorists who detonated a suicide bomb at the Bataclan concert is being analyzed. Authorities say it had one last message on it: “OK, we are ready.”
One of the deadliest aspects of the November 13 attacks was the synchronization of the attacks, and some experts believe the message on the bomber’s phone could be one of the steps taken by the terrorists to synchronize their attacks. All the places, including Stade de France and Bataclan theatre, were attacked at almost the same time, creating a wave of terror that took the lives of 132 people and wounded more than 600.
The Saint-Denis raid is the result of an investigation into the planning of the attacks. Counterterrorism and intelligence officials have also identified the presence of a ninth man who may not have attacked that night but was party to the terrorist act. He is believed to have driven two of the attackers on Friday night. Not yet identified, he is one of two suspects at large. The Saint-Denis raid may be a part of the process to apprehend him.
The second suspect, identified as Salah Abdselem, a French national, is also believed to be at large in Belgium. He was stopped for questioning at the French-Belgian border, but authorities released him, as he was not linked to the attacks at that time. Moreover, his car was found vacant in Belgium the day after.
Salah’s brother, Mohemed Abdselem, has urged his brother to surrender to police. Talking to a news channel, he requested his brother give up arms and turn himself in to the authorities. “I would tell him to surrender. That’s the best solution,” Mohamed Abdeslam said in an interview. “But of course, if he has something to do with it, he must accept responsibility.”
Another Abdselem brother, Ibrahim, committed suicide after attacking civilians at Stade de France. Mohemed said that he had an inkling that something was wrong with his brothers by the way they were behaving lately and the company they kept. He said both Salah and Ibrahim did not say goodbye when they left the house before the attacks, and the internet may have played a big part in their transition to radical thoughts.
“My brother who participated in this terrorist act must have been psychologically ready to commit such an act. These are not regular people,” he said. “You cannot have the slightest doubt that they have been prepared, that they must not leave any trace which would cause suspicion that they might do such things. And even if you saw them every day, their behavior was quite normal.”
Both Salah and Ibrahim had been stopped by Turkish authorities at the Iraqi-Syrian border and deported to France. However, they were released by French authorities after they denied joining ISIS.
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