Paris raid halted terror unit that was ready to 'strike'

Paris, Nov 19: A "commando" of people arrested or killed in a massive police raid in a Paris apartment on Nov 18 were a terror unit capable of staging a fresh attack, the city prosecutor said.

"A new team of terrorists was neutralised and all indications are that given their arms, their organisational structure and their determination, the commando could have struck," said Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.

He also said police had found a cellphone belonging to one of the gunmen and suicide bombers who staged France's worst-ever attacks Friday, killing 129 people and injuring over 350.

The phone was found in a dustbin outside the Bataclan music venue, scene of the worst violence, where 89 people were gunned down.

A text message showed one of the gunmen had sent a message saying "we're ready, let's go."

The message was sent at 9:42 pm (2042 GMT), before the attack, Molins said, adding that police were investigating who the message was sent to.

AFP