PARIS: Suspected leader of Friday’s terror attacks confirmed as dead

The man believed to have masterminded last Friday's attacks in Paris has been confirmed as dead.

French prosecutors today announced that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian citizen, was one of two people shot in a planned raid on a Parisian apartment yesterday, November 18.

The 27-year-old, who is of Moroccan descent, was identified from his fingerprints. 

Eight other people were arrested during the raid on the property in Saint Denis.

Statement from French prosecutors on death of Abdelhamid Abaaoud pic.twitter.com/4rhiUTzA6J

— Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa) November 19, 2015

Heavily armed French police broke their way into the apartment following a tip-off that Abaaoud was hiding there. During the raid, a female – believed to be Abaaoud's cousin – killed herself by detonating her suicide vest.

The death toll of Friday's gun and suicide bomb attacks stands at 129, with hundreds of others injured. Seven different areas were targeted, with the death toll highest at the Bataclan theatre, where 89 people were killed.

investigators are still hunting for another man, Salah Abdeslam, in connection with the terror attacks. He is believed to have travelled to Belgium on Friday night.

According to the BBC, Abaaoud's presence in Paris raises huge questions for the reliability of French security services.

Before the attacks, Abaaoud was high on both French and Belgiuan wanted lists, and yet was able to travel from Syria to central Paris without being detected.