Saint Denis raid: Paris prosecutor says intelligence led police to 'mastermind' Abdelhamid Abaaoud

The operation is over, but the identities of those found have yet to be confirmed

Police in Paris had solid intelligence suggesting the "mastermind" of Friday night's shootings was hiding out in a flat in Saint-Dernis, the city's prosecutor has said.

Francois Molins told a press conference after the siege in northern Paris ended that he could not confirm whether or not Abdelhamid Abaaoud was indeed found inside the apartment.

He said information from tapped telephone conversations, surveillance and witness accounts led police to raid the apartment, during which seven people were arrested and two suspects killed.

Mr Molins said a range of intelligence "gave the impression that Abaaoud was likely to be there."

Three people in the apartment were arrested before a young woman, whose identity is still unknown, detonated a suicide vest. Another suspect was killed by "projectiles and grenades", Mr Molins said.

Two suspects hidden in the rubble were also arrested, while the man who lent the group the flat and an acquaintance were also detained.

No identity was provided and work to identify all those involved was ongoing, officials said.

During the course of the operation, which began at 4.30am local time on Wednesday morning, five police officers suffered minor injuries and a police dog was killed.