French police stormed an apartment in the heart of the northern Paris suburb of St. Denis before dawn on Wednesday as they attempted to find a Belgian national who is suspected of planning the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

Two people are reported to have died from the raid - one was a young woman who detonated an explosive vest. Several people were arrested during the operation. There is no news as to whether or not the suspect was there.

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Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters that "It is currently very impossible for me to give you the identities of the people who were arrested because they are still being verified. Everything will be done to determine who is who."

The raid began at 4:15am, when police officers backed by truckloads of soldiers, cordoned off an area near the Place Jean Jaures. The site of the raid is not far from Stade de France where three attackers blew themselves up on Friday.

The raid is said to be the result of an intense investigation that was undertaken after the simultaneous attacks in Paris. "This is the result of an intense investigation, which made it possible to obtain phone records, surveillance and testimony, elements that have suggested that the man named Abaaoud was potentially in the apartment in St. - Denis where the recent attacks were planned." said Molins.

On the third floor of a building in the area of Rue de Corbillon, five suspects were reported to be hiding. One of them, a woman, opened fire then denoted an explosive vest that she was wearing, killing herself and a man who is rumored to be her husband. 

The raid resulted in the arrest of several possible terrorists. Two are said to have been found hiding in the rubble and two were found near the complex.  

TagsParis Attacks, Paris Raid, Paris Raid St. Denis