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President Francois Hollande: ‘France is at war’

Capture of Salah Abdeslam labelled a win for democracy.

Capture of Salah Abdeslam labelled a win for democracy.

France President Francois Hollande has called for a grand international coalition to ‘eradicate terrorism’ after acknowledging his country was ‘at war’.

Mr Hollande gave a 50-minute speech from the Palace of Versailles on Tuesday morning (AEST), in which he confirmed France would ‘intensify’ operations in Syria after initial airstrikes, following Friday’s deadly terrorist attacks that killed 129 and left 350 wounded.

“[The attacks] were decided and planned in Syria, prepared and organised in Belgium and perpetrated on our soil with French complicity,” Mr Hollande said, on the day that the alleged mastermind behind the attacks – Belgian-born Abdelhamid Abaaoud was named.

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Major anti-terror raids were also conducted across on France on Monday, with 150 resulting in 23 arrests and 104 people put under house arrest.

A rocket launcher, pistols and a Kalashnikov were reportedly seized.

“I will meet in the coming days with US President Obama and [Russian] President Putin… so we can unite our forces to achieve a result that has taken too long [and eradicate IS],” Mr Hollande added.

“We will continue the strikes in the weeks to come.”

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President Francois Hollande called for the “eradication of terrorism”. Photo: AAP

Mr Hollande has asked parliament to extend France’s state of emergency for three months.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama again ruled out a ground intervention in Syria.

“Let’s assume that we were to send 50,000 troops into Syria,” he told world leaders in Turkey for the G20 summit.

“What happened when there’s a terrorist attack generated from Yemen? Do we then send troops into there? Or Libya, perhaps?”

The suspected mastermind, Abaaoud, “appears to be the brains behind several planned attacks in Europe”, a source close to the investigation told the Reuters news agency.

He was previously linked to a thwarted terror attack on a Parisian train and church in August, according to Associated Press.

According to France’s RTL Radio, Abaaoud is a 27-year-old from the Molenbeek suburb of Brussels, home to other members of the militant Islamist cell that carried out the attacks.

He is believed to be in Syria.

Earlier on Monday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls confirmed his government was aware of terror plotting ahead of Saturday’s (AEDT) deadly violence in Paris.

He also said that it was government intelligence which triggered Monday’s raids.

Identities of six suspected attackers had been revealed, while the sole surviving terrorist is thought to still be on the run, sparking an international manhunt.

The latest to be identified by prosecutors were Samy Amimour, 28, a suicide bomber at the Bataclan theatre and Ahmad Al Mohammad, 25, a suicide bomber at the Stade de France.

Amimour was born in Paris and was previously known to French authorities.

Al Mohammad was identified via the Syrian passport found at the Stade de France after the attacks.

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More attacks could come, said Mr Valls. Photo: Getty

He was born in Syria and is believed to have come to Europe in October via Greece.

Mr Valls said French intelligence services had prevented several attacks since the European summer begun and police knew other attacks were being prepared in and against France as well as across the rest of Europe.

“We are making use of the legal framework of the state of emergency to question people who are part of the radical jihadist movement … and all those who advocate hate of the republic,” he said.

“We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too.”

He said the attacks in Paris were “planned in Syria” and specifically targeted young people.

Mr Valls also said terrorism could hit again in “in days or weeks to come”.

“Once again, the terrorists have attacked France, the French people, young people. Many young people are dead,” he said.

“We must live, live fully, live, but live with the threat of terrorism, to fight together.”

Manhunt for suspect who slipped police continues

French police said they were seeking a “dangerous” suspect still on the run, 26-year-old Salah Abdeslam, who is said to be one of three brothers linked to the slaughter.

Abdeslam is a French national who lived in Belgium.

His brother, Mohammed, was arrested in Brussels before being released without charge, while his other brother, Ibrahim, died near the Bataclan after attacking civilians.

salah abdeslam

Salah Abdeslam is being hunted for his suspected role in the attacks.

Salah Abdeslam is on the run after slipping through a police checkpoint at the French-Belgian border after the attacks, because no warrant had been issued for him.

He and two other men were stopped at the time. Police warned he was dangerous and should not be approached.

Three of the suicide bombers were French nationals, two of whom lived in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

In a further sign of growing Belgian connection to the attacks, investigators said two cars used in the violence were hired there.

Seven people are in custody in Belgium in relation to the Paris attacks.

(Click on the owl to see what we know so far about all the alleged attackers  )

Earlier on Monday, the French air force carried out its most brutal bombing on Islamic State to date, hitting one of its strongholds in Syria.

In the first strikes since Friday’s carnage, French warplanes bombed IS targets in Raqqa, the Islamists’ de facto capital in Syria.

The raid destroyed an IS command post, jihadist recruitment centre, munitions depot and a training camp, the French defence ministry said.

The operation was conducted in coordination with US forces by a dozen aircraft which took off from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

France still living in fear and mourning

On Sunday night (French time), firecrackers at Place de la Republique sent scores of mourners fleeing in panic before they realised it was a false alarm.

France observed an emotional minute of silence on Monday, with Mr Hollande paying his respects at the Sorbonne University, in recognition of the large number of young victims.

Paris is coming to terms with the atrocities that come 10 months after jihadists hit satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.

French authorities have so far identified more than 100 of the dead, who included journalists, lawyers, students, parents of small children.

More than 25 foreigners from over a dozen countries were among the victims.

– with reporting by Emma Manser, James Willoughby, Brandon Cohen and agencies

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