Mastermind of the Paris attacks killed in Wednesday's raid

(The Canadian Press) The Paris prosecutor says that the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a police raid.

In a statement Thursday, the prosecutor’s office said that Abaaoud‘s body was found in an apartment building targeted in the raid in Saint-Denis north of Paris Wednesday.

It said he was identified based on skin samples.

Meantime, the French Prime Minister is warning that the associates of extremists who targeted France last week and killed 129 people in Paris could use chemical and biological weapons.

He has presented a bill before Parliament today to extend the state of emergency for another three months.

Meantime, there are reports of six different raids in Belgium this morning as police target the entourage of one of last Friday’s attackers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pledging that Canada will remain a strong member of the global campaign against the Islamic State group of militants.

Trudeau made the comments this morning at the A-PEC summit in Manila as he and U-S President Barack Obama addressed the media following their first formal meeting since the Liberal P-M took office earlier this month.

Trudeau has said he will pull Canadian fighter jets out of the U-S-led coalition bombing militant targets in Syria and Iraq and will replace them with a more robust force of military trainers on the ground in Iraq.

He vowed Canada will keep doing “more than its part” to defend against ISIL.

Meantime, the 21 Asia-Pacific leaders are calling for governments to urgently increase co-operation in the fight against terrorism.

Their annual gathering on trade and economic development has been overshadowed by recent terror attacks in Paris, Beirut, and against a Russian airliner in Egypt.

A copy of the declaration leaders will issue after meetings wrap up today says they “strongly condemn all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism.”

It adds economic growth, prosperity and opportunity are among the most powerful tools to address the root causes of terrorism and radicalization.

(The Canadian Press and The Associated Press)