2015 Saint-Denis raid
| Company type | Police and military operation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Counterterrorism |
| Founded | November 18, 2015 |
| Headquarters | Saint-Denis, Paris , France |
Area served | Saint-Denis suburb, Paris metropolitan area |
Key people | Abdelhamid Abaaoud, Hasna Aït Boulahcen, Chakib Akrouh, Francois Molins |
2015 Saint-Denis operation
A police intervention escalated into an armed confrontation involving over one hundred French law enforcement officers and military personnel against suspected Islamic State militants in the suburb of Saint-Denis near Paris. Following the November 2015 attacks in Paris, French officials identified Abdelhamid Abaaoud as the presumed orchestrator. Upon discovering that a relative of Abaaoud was located in Saint-Denis, authorities initiated surveillance and executed a raid on 18 November 2015, five days subsequent to the attacks.
Throughout the engagement, law enforcement discharged close to 5,000 rounds, with military forces deploying high-caliber ammunition against an apartment complex on rue du Corbillon. The operation ended with the deaths of Abaaoud, Hasna Aït Boulahcen, and Chakib Akrouh—reported as a participant in the Paris attacks and a suicide bomber—and the apprehension of five additional suspects. This event required extensive collaboration between the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) and the RAID tactical units.
Operation
On 18 November 2015, French security forces comprising police and military units initiated an assault on a building at 8 rue du Corbillon in Saint-Denis, located near the Stade de France, aiming to capture Abdelhamid Abaaoud, believed to be behind the Paris attacks. Moroccan intelligence confirmed Abaaoud’s presence within France, and authorities traced his associate Hasna Aït Boulahcen to this site. Surveillance showed Abaaoud entering the premises alongside her on 17 November.
At approximately 4:20 am, officers targeted a second-floor apartment thought to shelter Abaaoud and at least five other individuals. Initial attempts to breach the armored entrance with explosives were unsuccessful, allowing suspects to prepare their defenses. Reinforcements and emergency medical teams arrived by 5:55 am. The operation received aerial support from police helicopters along with additional ground units throughout the morning. Intense gunfire and detonations erupted around 7:20 am, including a suicide blast designed to lure officers into close proximity. Residents nearby were evacuated as riot control units dispersed onlookers.
Aftermath
The standoff concluded by 8:20 am with at least two militants killed—including a suicide bomber—and eight others detained. Five officers sustained injuries, and Diesel, a RAID police dog, was fatally wounded—the first canine loss in the unit’s history. Explosions caused the collapse of the building's third floor, complicating subsequent forensic examinations.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins disclosed that nearly 5,000 rounds were fired by police during the hour-long engagement. On 19 November, fingerprint verification confirmed Abaaoud’s death.
Authorities had tracked Abaaoud by following Aït Boulahcen’s mobile phone signals; both were recorded entering the building prior to the raid. Early reports mistakenly identified Aït Boulahcen as the suicide bomber; later forensic findings revealed the bomber was Chakib Akrouh—an unidentified man holding Belgian-Moroccan citizenship involved in earlier Paris attacks.
Aït Boulahcen perished when Akrouh detonated his explosive vest. She was reportedly related as a cousin to Abaaoud and had leased the apartment before law enforcement action. She maintained links to extremist networks connected with previous French attacks.
Further investigations showed that terrorists discharged only eleven handgun rounds, contradicting initial claims of assault rifle use. Numerous bullet marks on police equipment were likely caused by friendly fire amid chaotic combat conditions. Reports concluded no terrorists were struck by police gunfire; two died from an explosive vest detonation while one (Aït Boulahcen) succumbed due to debris-induced suffocation.
In 2021, plans were announced to demolish the targeted building by late 2022 due to structural damage and prior issues such as unpaid charges and fire incidents. Since the raid, occupants totaling 47 households—including many unauthorized residents—were evicted from the property.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- 2015 in Paris
- Counterterrorism in France
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and France
- November 2015 Paris attacks
- Law enforcement operations in France
- Opération Sentinelle
- Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
- Suicide bombings in France
- Islamic terrorism in Paris
- Shootouts
- Building bombings in Paris
- 2015 building bombings
- Suicide bombings in 2015
- Residential building bombings in France
- Grenade attacks in France
- 2010s sieges
- Sieges involving France