Female suicide bomber and another jihadist killed in Paris assault

A female suicide bomber blew herself up and one other jihadist died in a police raid in Paris on Wednesday as explosions and automatic gunfire rang out in an operation targeting the suspected mastermind of last week's attacks. 

The pre-dawn raids in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis turned into an hours-long stand-off between security forces and up to four people holed up in an apartment, near the Stade de France stadium that was attacked by suicide bombers on Friday.

The operation targeted the suspected mastermind of Friday's deadly attacks in the capital, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, an Islamic State fighter who was previously thought to be in Syria after fleeing raids in his native Belgium earlier this year.

A source close to the investigation said a woman in the apartment had blown herself up and one other person was killed, while police said five people had been arrested.

Hayat, 26, had been leaving a friend's apartment where she had spent the night when the shots rang out just after 4:00 am. 

"I heard gunfire," she said. "I could have been hit by a bullet. I never thought terrorists could have hid here."

Dozens of soldiers had flooded into the area and heavily armed police were seen deploying along a street full of shops in the centre of the district, while ambulances and fire engines filled the streets.

Some residents were evacuated, some still in their underwear and authorities warned residents to keep away from windows.

The raid came as Europe was placed on high alert after footage from the scene of one of Friday's attacks in Paris, which killed 129 and injured 350, revealed a ninth suspect may have taken part.

It was not clear if the ninth man was one of two suspected accomplices detained in Belgium or was on the run, potentially with 26-year-old fugitive Frenchman Salah Abdeslam who took part in the attacks with his suicide-bomber brother Brahim.

Police also carried out multiple raids in southwestern France, in Ariege, Toulouse and the department of the Haute-Garonne.

The operations were part of an anti-terrorism strategy but not directly linked to the Paris attacks, an investigator told AFP.

Photo Caption: Police stand guard in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis city center