It has been another day of high-profile raids in Europe. Today, police moved into six locations across Brussels, including some in the Molenbeek suburb, which has become notorious for producing radicalized youth.
NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that officials say they are looking for associates of Bilal Hadfi, one of the Islamist attackers who died during the Paris killings on Friday. Hadfi was one of two terrorists who detonated explosive vests just outside a packed stadium in north Paris.
With the latest out of the way, here's a round up of what we know right now:
The Investigation:
-- Of course, the big, as-of-yet-unanswered question is whether the alleged architect of the attacks, a Belgian man named Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed during a violent police raid conducted by Paris authorities on Wednesday.
-- As we reported, François Molins, chief prosecutor of France, said Abaaoud was not among the eight arrested yesterday, but authorities were still trying to identify the remains of who they believe are two people. One — presumed to be a woman — detonated a suicide vest and the other died during the battle with police and may have been killed by gunfire or a grenade explosion.
-- Molins also said that Sala Abdeslam's fate was unknown. Abdeslam was described by Molins as a key operative in the attacks. He rented cars and safe houses, Molins said, and then drove out of the country. That means police may still be on the hunt for Abdeslam and another unidentified suspect
The Reaction:
-- France's National Assembly approved President Hollande's request to extend the state of emergency in the country by three months. The measure still has to be approved by the Senate.
As NPR's Lauren Frayer reports, the state of emergency allows the government to:
- Put anyone deemed "dangerous" or a public threat under house arrest .
- Carry out a search at anytime. If it is a considered a "public danger," they could do it without a warrant from a judge.
- Implement a curfew.
- Ban public gatherings.
- Establish "protection/security zones"
-- France continues heavy airstrikes across Syria. The AP reports that the military said "it has destroyed 35 Islamic State targets in Syria since last week's attacks on Paris."
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