France bombs IS as police hunt terror suspect

France launched airstrikes Sunday evening against suspected militants from the so-called "Islamic State" in the Syrian city of Raqqa. News of the strikes came as French authorities issued a warrant for a Belgian-born man believed to have taken part in the attacks across Paris on Friday.

On Twitter, the Defense Ministry announced that 12 aircraft, including 10 fighter jets, had been involved in the sorties that destroyed a command post, munitions dump and a training camp.

"The raid ... was launched simultaneously from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Twenty bombs were dropped," the statement said.

Carried out in coordination with the US command, the strikes were apparently in retaliation for Friday's attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people in the French capital. French President Francois Hollande has blamed the "Islamic State" group for the gun and suicide attacks, calling them an "act of war."

France issues warrant for Paris suspect

Earlier Sunday, French authorities issued an international arrest warrant for a Belgian-born man believed to have taken part in the attacks.

The 26-year-old, named as Salah Abdeslam, is one of three brothers believed involved in the killings. He reportedly rented a black Volkswagen Polo that carried a group of hostage-takers who killed at least 89 people inside the Bataclan concert hall in apparently coordinated shootings and suicide bombings.

One of the three siblings died during the attack, while another was said to have been detained by police on Saturday.

Earlier Sunday, Belgian prosecutors said seven people had been arrested after raids in Brussels. Two assailants living in Belgium were among the killers who died during the attacks.

Police also questioned the relatives of one alleged attacker on Sunday, in an effort to gain clues about the attacks.

Six detained in France

At least six people have been arrested by French police, including the father and brother of Omar Ismail Mostefai, as well as the brother's wife. The six were detained under a French procedure to gather witness statements, although they were not being held as formal suspects. The AFP news agency reported that Mostefai was not close to his family.

Police also found a black Seat Leon vehicle, which could have been used by some of the attackers to escape, in the eastern Parisian suburb of Montreuil. Belgian police Saturday detained a French national who was suspected of renting a vehicle found near the attack on the Bataclan.

City on edge

The Paris attacks left at least 132 dead and over 300 wounded, dozens of them critically.

The City of Light remains on edge, with thousands of troops in the streets and tourist sites and public buildings closed.

On Sunday, hundreds of mourners were briefly evacuated from the Place de La Republique, which has become a memorial area for those who died in the Friday killings, after firecrackers sparked a false alarm.

"Whoever starts running starts everyone else running," said Alice Carton, city council member who was at the square, speaking with AP. "It's a very weird atmosphere. The sirens and screaming are a source of fear."

jar/cmk (AFP, Reuters)