thanks for joining us. breaking news this morning in france, heavy gunfire and explosions in an early morning raid targeting the mastermind behind the paris attacks. >> a standoff as the sun rises. police storming a suburban neighborhood. a dramatic turn in the terror investigation. we have live team coverage. on this wednesday morning we continue with abc news breaking coverage out of france. a raid targeting the alleged mastermind of the terror attacks in paris. >> t sights and sounds, s.w.a.t. team surrounding an apartment building north of paris looking for isis operative abdelhamid abaaoud, a string of

explosions and gunshots could heard through the night and residents were ordered to stay inside. our abc's correspondent alex marquardt has the latest from the paris suburb of saint-denis. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis. we are right here on the edge of this large perimeter that the french police have set up around that apartment that was raided which is around 200 yards down that way. the tower and church has struck 10. 5 1/2 hou ago this police raid started with gunfire and explosions lasting quite some time. we understand that there was some -- we've been on the ground for three hours and has been relatively quiet for quite some time except for a loud series of blasts that sounded like concussion grenades or stun grenade, the kinds off things police use when they raid buildings to stun suspects. that could have marked the end of thihis raid. we do understand from the frenc justice ministry that the raid

is over. the paris prosecutor's office tells us that five people have been arrested. three suspects inside that apartment that they were targeting and two people, a man and a woman, near that. now, the big question this mornings whether the mastermind, the organizer of those friday attacks that left 129 people deaddas inside that apartment. his name i abdelhamid abaaoud. he was believed to be in syria. he is a relatively senior isis leader, quite prominent. he's been featured in many of thr propaganda to recruit others to the isis cause and in the more gruesome barbaric execution isis video, as well. so the french officials this morning said that he was the target of this raid but right now we don know whether he was one of those arrested. >> all right, our abc alex marquardt standing by there in sat-denis and it's a fairly big suburb north of parisnd our matt gutman is in another

part of snt-denis live for us. >> he arrived shortly after the raid started. matt, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning, reena. we are at one of the police perimeters. we keep trying to get closer and closer to where this siege happened and may still be happening because ten minutes ago we heard one loud bang, that's after theeries of ten bangs that we heard earlier this morning. it sounded again like a concussion grenade. a single explosion again nobody is saying what happened or source of that concussion grenade but the police here continue to be very, very edgy. i'm right in the blockade and theyey keep pushing us back. they have their hands on their gun, weapons drawn pointing at anybody who cops even within about 20 feet of them sore or so so something is still goi on here. this is very much an active situation even though that we are hearing thahat i alum of suspects have been detained and, of course, that woman who debt naded her suideest was killed.

target of that raid, of course, is abdelhamid abaaoud, the number one most wanted person for france, the person respononsible f those heinous attacks at the "charlie hebdo" in january d, of course, the attacks on friday. big black eye are to french intelligence the fact that they believe he was in syria when, in fact, he was right under their noses 15 minutes north of the heart of this great city, possly harboring -- being harbored by someone who lived in this very modest working class counity, people are out here by the hundreds, work is closed. they can't travel anywhere. they can't go anywhere. thele schools have been ordered to be closed. 12 of them. all the stores had shuttered here, a ghost town except for gawkers who are trying to get a glimpse of the police action. paris continues to be on edge and it's hard to overestimate how. this h affected this country and you see it in the eyes of poce officers that we are

they are extremely serious a the buildup of forces right here in this northern suburb just about a mile away from the stade de france where the thrgh suicide bombers blew themselves off kicking off the heinous attacks friday night. you can see it in the eyes of the police officers in this massive buildup of forces. we were on scene very, very early right after the initial crackle of gunfire, automatic weapons when we saw first the police roll in then we saw the counterterrorism force, men armed to the teeth wearing ski masks, running towards the scene. saw arm trucks piled with soldiers spilling out into the street, taking up positions and anybody who comes near these officers is being pointed away, not canheir hand but with a weapon. this is still very serious and all the people that are still on the e other se of the perimeter are caught when they go out of their homes, out of their apartments we've seen them have their hands on their head,

trying to be the least threatening as possible because, again,fficers aren't sure exactly of who might be involved in these terrorist actions and who exactly might be a threat to them. so significant concern here still, it seems like the bulk of the operation is over, maybe there's some mop-up action going on still, but very, very tense here on the streets of paris. >> and that we know as early as tuesday, both french and american intelligence believed that the mastermind behind this attack was inside syria. we also know inside of france there were at least 168 police raids. have police garnered any new clues and is there a sense inside of france that french intelligence missed some opportunities on this. >> reporter: it's hard to tel what -- again, you just mentioned there have been an enormous number of raids. 128. one night, and 150 another nig and one wonders the extent to

which the french special operations forces had prepared for these and we know a number of arrests have been m made throughout the past couple of days and don't know the significance but something clearly led police to people who were bound to do harm. it is confirmed that one woman did debt fate her explosive device. she was wearing a suicide vest which means there may h have been a significant amount of numbers stored in the house, in this apartment block where the suspects were hiding out. it's a very tough position for france to be in and i think one of the things we have to highlight as americans who are not used to being in europe is that europeans don't need ssports or i.d.s to travel. that is why it seems that these terrorists have been so ubiquitous throughout europe and had a major square overnight in rmany, hanover, the gat

netherlands/germany mat the site of a possible major threat and indicates that something big was going down and, in fact, the stadiumeats almost 50,000 people and among the attendance was s supposedo be angela merkel, the chancellor of germany so whatever that intelligence was, it cerinly spooked the germans who closed down the city and said there's a major threat in the entirety of the city and, of course, spirited angela merkel out of there and, of course, in belgium and we heard reports these people were in bosnia and in other countries, and the fact is thatou are a belgian citizen like abdelhamid abaaoud or the other members of theell that attacked france, you can travel freely. you don't need to stop at a border post to show your i.d., your passports you can move fluidly throughout the entire continent. >> i have to wrap you up while we reset the situation that is happening right now. once again, as matt was

mentioning and alex mentioning fifiverrests made all in connection with the terror attacks that took place last friday. you see police setting up that tent in for a long haul in paris. on the other side of thi break, just imagine the horror of the residents of that neighborhood waking up to the sounds of

hear from them next. we are continuing to follow the police raids under way in a paris suburb just north of paris, in fact, where a lot of police activity you can see right now. we believe those raids have wrapped up and at least five people have come under arrest. we are also getting word out this hour from the white house that president obama has been informed about these attacks by his national security team. >> i should mention briefly as well that we're alsoetting

police that five police officers were also injured during this morning's raid. and in the meantime, as i mentioned just imagine the horror of those residents waking up just f five days after the terror attacks and hearing gunshots and explosions. our partners at france 24 spoke with eyewitnesses earlier. >> i had heard an explosion about 20 minutes ago, about six explosions but it was quite a few explosions about 20 minutes ago. >> and what's happening there now? has it gone quiet there now? >> yes, it seems quiet, sir. but for safety reasons i won't be looking too much and en, yeah, at least 50 police, army vehicles and over 100 soldiers, policemen and i saw that peoplee were post inging about the shooting and then i realized that there

informed all my friends and flatmates and people around the area and then, yeah, then there were continuous gunshots for -- felt like over a half hohour. >> i woke up hearing gunshots so i looked out the window and we could hear it. then we called the police to let them know what's going on and what we heard which was like a shooting or something but then she told us that the police was there there. so we could hear shootings until 5:30 a.m. and then we kcan still hear that and now w we're just waiting to see what's going on. we just want to be safe and we don't thinkbout being near someerrorists or something like that so we never thought it

i fear we are toee that and terrifying. we can see places that we go ofte on tv where the police and things like that terrifying right now. >> she told me she was woken up by a huge explosion and they stormed into the building and told her to get downen 0 t floor. she was with her husband and her sister who is a baby and then she got really scared and she stayed in fact for two hours lying down on the floor police told her to stay calm to remain there while they were conducting the opation. then they told her -- they evacuated her and told her to go to the hall where she found refuge. she told she meefs really, really scared for he for her son and this was a very traumatic experience. >> hearing terror not only eyewitnesses on the ground in france but affecting others in country. the fbi saying that they have at least 90 amerins who have been

inspired attacks here in the united states. fbi director james comey just in the past few days has said that the fbi is investigating terror suects in every single state in the u.s. we want to bring in fbi former i specialal agent brad garrett to tell us exactly what's going

>> and also david muir after well, if you're joining us now we have been for the past few hours following breaking

news out of a suburb north of paris where police conduct what had they're calling a signicant terror raid pontially going after the mastermind of friday's paris attacks. >> so far we are told that five arrests have been made. three from inside of an apartment that was targeted. now, the key targe was the mastermind of that attack, abdelhamid abaaoud, we're not sure whether or not he has been taken into custody as yet. all of this coming some five days after the attacks taking place in paris. meantime, we spoke a little earlier to abc news contributor brad garrett. we got him on the phone. brad. >> well, onef the keys ss any time you're trying to determine if somebody does a residence is what intelligence do you have that he's there. in other words, did neighbors call you? did a source call you? what is the situation and then what you try to do is take that and can you actually corroborate itit, in other words, what makes you the police convinced that

this person is in that house? you know, as we just experienced in the last couple of days they entered the house and he wasn't there. they thought he was inside. maybe they had a situation, maybe they don't. but at some point if they have enough time they're going to figure out h how to get either cameras, mikes i inside a particular location to actually determine wt they can see. and at some juncture i think you're reporting you're heang noises which may possibly be vic bangs that they may have entered a residence or apartment or whatever it may be. >> all right, brad, and i'm just curious about this one thing. they're saying it's possible abdelhamid abaaoud and this is a guy that's suspected behind the "charlie hebdo" aing that, the train attack that didn't happen and now this and they thought that he was in syria and now it

in a suburb of paris in a residential area. does that kind of shock you that that might be the case? that he mig have been able to survive there for all this time? >> no. because the ability particularly in europe to move around in -- particularly if you do it by car just not that difficult and particularly if you have great fake i.d.s and/or somebody else is moving you i can definitely see that to be a possibility. >> special agent brad garrett.

paris. welcome back as we continue to follow the police raids in france. we want too bring in "world news

paris. arriving shortly after the attacks. what can you tell us about the scene right now? >> reporter: we've been on the scene here this moing, rea, and as you can see there's still a very heavy police presence. the operation is still under way. we know that this operation had to do with abdelhamid abaaoud who, of course, is considered the mastermind of all these coordinated attttacks thoh authorities have not been able to say whether or not he was in fact inside the building they have gone into herehis morning. we know there have been five arrest, three inside the apartment detained and then a man and woman later detained near that apartment building. we also know that authorities have confirmed this morning there was one woman who detonated a suicide belt as we've been reporting for days w in those coordinated atcks throughout paris, all of attackers who took their lives all had identical suicide belts they were wearing. it's unclear if she was p partf that group. >> and, david, wt is the scene right now?

calmed down where you are? >> reporter: [ no audio] >> on going for six hours and you can see the police presence saint-denis. we have several correspondents tonight" anchor david muir on the scene. >> as david was talking about there, what's unclear at this hour police are trying to ascertain that female suicide bomber who detonated her explosive vest. was she part of the same up grew, the same explosives used in the attack friday. police are still trying to work as you can see on the scene leaving that apartment area. we just in the few minutes have put up that tent and a great al more police activity, more presence just around that apartment complex. >> we should poi out on the other end of this break our alex marquardt is close just step as way from the apartment that was the target. he will join us live from paris next.hma... .one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term ntrol medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece

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of the raid in paris. police going after what they believe to be the mastermind of those paris attacks from friday. we just heard from an eyewitness a short time ago that he heard more than 50 shots in tt area. helicopter activity overhead, explosions, police warning residents to remain in theheir homes even at this hour. >> and it is still a developing situation. we want to go right to that scene right now in saint-denis, just about 30 minutes north of central paris. our alex marquardt is there. alex. >> reporter: good morning, kendis. that's right. not just an evolving situation understand it's an active scene and told by the french justice ministry the raid is over. one of my colleaguess jus spoke with someone who lived on this street. right across from that apartment that was raided. she described this as an aive scene and said that this raid started at 4: this morning. she and her husband were woken by a very loud explosion that launched the raid and we understand that over the course

of the next several hours there were lots of gunshots, waves of gunshot, waves of explosions that resulted in the wounding of around five police officers. the french paris prosecutor's office tells us that five arrests have been made. three of them from inside that apartment and two people, a man and a woman who were near the apartment. the big question this morning is whether a man by the name of abdelhamid abaaoud was inside that apartment. he has been designated the mastermind, the organizer of thesearis attacks on tri that left 129 people dead. he is a prominent memember of is. he w bieved to be in syria. he is of belgian origin featured prominently in many of their recruitment videos for fellow europeans featured pronent in seseveral o their propaganda videos that were more barbaric

showing those executions. if he is, indeed, in paris just outside paris in the suburb of saint-denis, the french authorities have said he was thehe target of this raid so if he is, indeed, here that means that he managed to slip through the european intelligence net, make his y from syria back here to france. reena. >> >> alex, thank you very much for your reporting today. we want to remindepdznd we've got more details coming up on "good morning america" and ask you stick with us. we've been following these continuing coverage over the past few hours of the police raids in paris -- excuse me, in france not far from paris. >> quite a development this morning. police making several arrests, several police officers injured and "gma" will have live team coverage of all the latest coming up. thanks for joining us.s.moring iowa in hd. we are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning