Two terrorists dead, three arrested in Paris police raid

Police forces prepare in St. Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. Photo / AP

French authorities have confirmed two terror suspects have died during a police raid in the northern Paris suburb of St-Denis.

Three others have been arrested.

One suspect was shot by police and a second, a woman, blew herself up, according to the Telegraph.

Three police officers have been wounded.

Six suspects were holed up in the apartment that was raided by police.

A senior French police official says the large police operation targeted the suspected mastermind of last week's attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud.

Earlier, at least seven explosions were heard at the scene.

The official, who was not authorised to be publicly named according to police rules but is informed routinely about the operation, says that scores of police who stormed the building early Wednesday (French time) were met with unexpectedly violent resistance.

Reinforcements were summoned and several people were injured.

Authorities in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis have evacuated about 20 residents from the building.

A city official said the residents were brought to city hall for protection.

The site is less than 2 kilometers from the Stade de France national stadium. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up Friday near the stadium during an international soccer match with French President Francois Hollande in attendance.

Families evacuated from the street where the shooting took place #ParisAttacks @RuptlyNewsroom pic.twitter.com/LcRQWkxUHv

— Lídia Pedro (@LidiaPedro9) November 18, 2015

- AP
- nzherald.co.nz