Three days after a series of deadly attacks struck the heart of Paris and sent the international community reeling, authorities continue to search for suspects linked to the killing spree. Details are still unraveling for a massacre that took the lives of 129 people and left at least 350 injured, but here is what we know so far:
Police raids sweep France; massive manhunt underway in Belgium
More than 150 police raids took place throughout France overnight: 23 people have been arrested and 104 others have been taken into custody for additional questioning, according to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. More raids are expected. “This is just the beginning,” Cazenevue said.
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In Brussels, law enforcement agencies are carrying out a massive manhunt for a single man, 26-year-old Salah Abdeslam. Authorities describe him as “dangerous” and potentially linked to the deadly attacks. His brother, Ibrahim, died in the terror spree, French media reported. Another brother, Mohamed, is currently in police custody.
Salah managed to flee France and was even stopped by police, who were unaware that he was a suspect linked to the massacre. Police believe Salah rented a black Volkswagen Polo that was found outside the Bataclan concert hall. The car was registered in Belgium and his name was on the rental car documents, but that information was not relayed in time to alert the border agents who checked him, a senator told NBC News on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities pin-point mastermind behind attack
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian extremist known as a highly active ISIS operator in Syria, is reportedly a primary architect behind the attacks.
Abbaoud has emerged as a prominent jihadist. He grew up in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, which has earned a reputation as the “jihadi capital of Europe.” He is also suspected of being linked to the narrowly thwarted attacks on a high-speed train bound for Paris in August.
Identities revealed of five deceased attackers
Officials revealed identities of five out of at least seven suspected attackers were killed in the terror spree. Prosecutors said four were French, two were from Belgium and another was possibly Syrian.
In addition to Salah and Ibrahim Adbeslam, prosecutors have identified Samy Amimour, a 28-year-old who stormed the Bataclan concert hall. He was charged in October 2012 with links to terrorism, and an international arrest warrant was issued for him a year later.
NBC News has also confirmed that Omar Ismael Mostefai, 29, was another suspected accomplice — he was identified by a severed finger found at the concert hall.
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One suicide bomber that targeted the sports stadium reportedly entered Europe on a boat of migrants fleeing Syria. Officials said he was carrying a Syrian passport in the name of Ahmad Almohammad, 25, though the authenticity of the document is unclear. Two more attackers’ identities have not yet been released: A 20-year-old found in the soccer stadium and a 31-year-old involved in a restaurant killing spree. Iraq warned of attacks a day earlier The Associated Press reports that senior Iraqi intelligence officials had not only been tipped off that ISIS was plotting an imminent attack, but they had sent out a warning about it. A day before the violence, Iraqi officials sent out a dispatch detailing threats from ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who had ordered attacks on coalition countries fighting the terror group. The dispatch warned of “bombings or assassinations or hostage taking in the coming days” and suggested that France could be a target, the AP reported. Ultimately, all seven suspected attackers had near-identical explosive devices attached to their waistcoats and belts. They operated in three groups: One set of suicide bombers detonated their devices at a France-Germany soccer game hosted at the Stade de France, where French President Francoise Hollande was in attendance. Another drove around Paris, storming cafes and bars with AK-47 assault rifles in hand. The third, and deadliest, unleashed terror at the Bataclan concert hall during a show by the American band Eagles of Death Metal. Moment of silence for victims Mourners across the globe paid their respects to the victims. In Paris, hundreds of people gathered at Notre Dame Cathedral to hold a moment of silence for the 129 people who died in the attacks. The Paris City Council began Monday by singing the French national anthem in its hall. The Eiffel Tower was lit in the French national colors of red, white and blue. A makeshift memorial was erected at Place de la République. In New York City, Nasdaq’s electronic billboard in Times Square paused for a moment of silence before the market opened. Other silent tributes took place at French embassies across the world, from Dublin to Ankara and Doha.
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