A day after 129 people were killed in a series of shootings and bombings all over Paris on Friday night, the city’s public prosecutor Francois Molins said three teams carried out a “wave of attacks” within a span of less than 25 minutes. Molins said seven attackers had been killed, all of whom had been heavily armed and were wearing explosive belts, reported the BBC. The police also found two getaway cars within the city, one of which contained three Kalashnikovs rifles.
Molins confirmed that at least one of the attackers was a Frenchman who lived in the Parisian suburb of Courcouronnes. Omar Ismaïl Mostefai, who blew himself up at the Bataclan concert hall, had a criminal record and had been identified as having Islamist ties, but had never been jailed. He was identified through a print from his severed finger, which matched local police records. His estranged brother, among other family members and acquaintances, were detained by the police and gave their statements on Saturday.
As authorities stepped up cross-border investigations, it appeared that the attack had roots in France, Belgium, the Middle East and possibly Germany, Reuters reported. The holder of a Syrian passport was found near the bodies of one of the assailants, with Greek officials saying that two attackers might have passed through the country from Turkey alongside the thousands of Syrian refugees who have been forced to free their war-torn homeland. However, there was no confirmation on this. Three people were arrested in Belgium as part of the anti-terror investigation, and a man who was held in Germany after guns and explosives were found in his car might also be linked to the attacks. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France would continue air strikes against the Islamic State, which has claimed the violence as revenge for French military action against the group in Syria and Iraq.
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