Our top story on midday edition a team of FBI agents is in France helping French longform track conspirators in the Pierce attacks and gain information about European terror networks. This is taking work as Isis has future attacks against Washington DC in New York City. So far your --. In authorities have conducted more than 400 house raids. Is there pressure for the US to do the same? Joining the first is Darrell Foxworth. He's FBI special agent here in San Diego and Darrell welcome to the program. Thank you for having me. How has the FBI responded after the terror attacks in Paris? The FBI -- we have agents assigned to Paris. When the incident happened in Paris we had agents and they were able to immediately start working with the French government to help them advance events -- investigation concerning this terrorist attack and at the same time while helping them to advance their investigations there also there to collect intelligence information on some of these individuals that are in custody and help feed intelligence back here to let us know if there any threats back here that we should be concerned about. Even with each action that has taken over there whether we are talking about arrest searches whatever the case may be where interested in that intelligence that is coming out of their the first thing we want to know are there any imminent threats to the United States and if so we need to take steps to mitigate those threats and secondly to identify the individuals that may be responsible for providing support to these people that are responsible for the acts over there or in the process of planning something else here in the United States or elsewhere. The key is to identify any imminent threat to the United States and taking steps to mitigate that and disrupting of those plans and identify other organizations in or individuals that may be considering similar plots. In light of the attacks have surveillance stuffed up here on people suspected joining terror groups? One thing we have in the United States, we have over 100 joint terrorism task forces across the country. These are FBI sponsors will work with our federal state and local partners. We have over 4000 members nationwide from over 500 state federal and local federal agencies that are members of these joint terrorist task force is. What we're doing we're working together to run down any suspicious activity or leads. We're working cases against individuals and organizations nationwide that may want to cause us harm. We have a joint terrorism task force here that has been successful in investigating cases and pushing this case is through to prosecution and working with our US attorneys office to prosecute cases here in San Diego and elsewhere. If a robust task force and work very close together and has been successful over the years. As you see these raids unfold in Europe Darrell Foxworth DC difference is the way European authorities are going about these rates as opposed to how they would conduct in America? They're going to follow their laws, their rules and regulations which dictate how they go about conducting their investigations. We're going to follow the Constitution here our laws and regulations which dictate to us how we go about conducting our investigations. So, each agency is going to follow their respective laws in conducting their investigations. Anything we do here we have to make sure that any information that we develop will collect its done in accordance with the Constitution and with federal laws and guidelines. So how we may do something here it may differ somewhat just because the different rules of each government but the goals are the same. That goal is to identify any threats to the people in France and for us here in the United States we want to identify any threats to people in the United States or interests that we have around the world. I was thinking, the raid that killed the mastermind of the Pierce attacks occurred during a shootout that lasted the better part of an hour. The building's interior was completely destroyed potentially putting the neighborhood at risk. It was a success but is that how a FBI raid would go? I think whether you're talking about what took place in France or here in the United States, when you talk about tactical operations first and foremost the goal is to make sure that you try to minimize the threats -- make sure that you are not going to do anything that's going to harm the public. You try to do that to the best of your ability by setting up perimeters and setting up your tactical teams in such a way that you can prevent innocent people from entering your perimeter. So the goal always is the protection of life. If life of citizens in the operators that may be involved in a tactical situation and often times you will see in these tactical situations it can be very slow, very mock article -- methodical because the operators want to do everything they can to clear these locations which can be rigged with bombs and other explosive devices so they will going to be very careful on how they proceed and have a clear these locations. It's not something where you necessarily unless it's a hostage situation you're not going to have a dynamic entry and run in there and clear the place. It's going to be slow, methodical and foot by foot. Right. As I said and as you mentioned Darrell Foxworth, San Diego has had its own brushes of terrorist suspects. Two men work arrested here in San Diego and that happened only last spring. Of course the arrest and conviction of San Diego men for aiding the [ Indiscernible ] terror group is San Diego and the proximity to the region is a high priority by FBI? The threats that we have here in San Diego we share some of the threats in San Diego that Los Angeles has caught New York has white we do have some things that are unique that they don't have and they have infrastructure that is unique to them. We have to adapt our security posture to adapt to the threats that we have here in San Diego. Of course we have the international board here, the busiest land port in Santa Sedo. It is important that we have the partnership of the federal of homeland security custom border protection so working together we can share the intelligence with them to let them know maybe what they need to be aware of as far as what we are saying and threats not only here in the United States but elsewhere. Keeping them in on the latest techniques what might be when it comes to someone trying to bring something into the country that we need to be concerned about. Yes we have things that are unique here in San Diego that other places don't have but the terrorism threat here in San Diego is similar to what we have another FBI field offices. We have 56 FBI field offices across the country and I can tell you each one of our office -- offices are involved in some type of terrorist organizations. I have been speaking with Darrell Foxworth a FBI special agent assigned to San Diego. Thank you very much. Thank you. Joining me now is William Aceves. He is a law professor and co-author lessons and legacies in the war on terror. William welcome to the program. Hello, good afternoon. Some of the house raids and detentions of suspect we're seeing in France and Belgium are rather similar to what happened here after 9/11 aren't they? That is one of the concerns I have two the respondent about these horrible attacks is that initially there seems to be a reaction to targets and communities with these individuals come from or where other individuals from those nationalities reside. In fact in our own country one of the first responses after the attacks in Paris was a result of governors calling for the termination of Syrians refugees would not be allowed. We just heard Congress is considering legislation to put a halt and suspend the Syrian refugee program in this country. Those are really bad responses to the types of attacks. They marginalize many innocent people and they target these people unfairly based upon their national origin. That is a reaction we see going on right now. We saw a reaction going on in this country after 9/11 and in fact that type of 11 the targets individuals based upon their original and -- ancestry should not be done. The type of initial response is probably -- problematic. Besides being a lapse of well known humanity towards people who are in need are there also serious consequences that can come from -- as you put it, targeting particular individuals and banning them from entering the country? The whole range of concerns. The basic principles in which this country is founded in providing opportunities and safe haven for people who are fleeing persecution that is really what's going on right now in Syria. These individuals are fleeing brutal persecution in this country is and was long viewed ourselves as a haven for people fling that type of persecution. There are other practical consequences based on their national origin. It's not certain we the most effective use of resources. Law-enforcement would be better served on focusing on more tangible methods of identifying potential threats and in addition it isolates those communities further rather than doing them as resources to assist law enforcement to adjusting potential terrorists dressed it isolates this communities and makes them less likely to communicate with law enforcement. William in reference to the title of your book what are some of the lessons we've learned from the war on terror that perhaps we should be remembering now? Regrettably one of the lessons we same time and again is all too often the initial response to close the borders, to be isolationist, to target about national ancestry. That's a reportable thing that we have not learned. Was particularly troubling is that refugee settlement program is one of the sophisticated program in the immigration process with these individuals go through countless checks to ensure that they are legitimate refugees fleeing persecution. This is not a simple process and despite that the initial response of 70 politicians was let's stop this program and stop helping these individuals. A few months ago William that the NSA was being criticized for that metadata service their surveillance in the US and other surveillance programs. Now politicians are calling for the return of exactly that type of surveillance. How do you evaluate that type of reaction? It's one that we can look towards our nation's history where we can see national crisis restricted civil liberties and as these new crises emerge there's new cause of for these restrictions. After 9/11 we had the adoption of the [ Indiscernible ] which granted the government extraordinary powers of surveillance and empowering them to conduct operations against US citizen with no direct connections to terrorism. -- Terrorist. William -- William Aceves is a law professor and co-author of the Lessons and Legacies in the War on Terror. William thank you very much. Thank you.
The Belgian extremist suspected of masterminding the deadly attacks in Paris died along with his cousin when police stormed a suburban apartment building, French officials said Thursday, a day after the chaotic, bloody raid.
Police found Abdelhamid Abaaoud's body Wednesday in the apartment building in Saint-Denis, but it took some time to identify the 27-year-old using his fingerprints. It was not clear how he died.
Officials believed Abaaoud was in Syria and it's not clear how he ended up near Paris. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said France did not know before Friday's deadly attacks that Abaaoud was in Europe.
A country outside of Europe tipped off Paris on Monday that Abaaoud had been spotted in Greece, Cazeneuve said, but he did not say when exactly Abaaoud was believed to have been there.
He had bragged in the Islamic State's English-language magazine, that he was able to slip in and out of Europe undetected.
Authorities have not detailed Abaaoud's exact whereabouts in the days leading up to or actions during the deadly rampage that killed 129 people and injured hundreds of others last week at cafes, a rock concert and the national stadium.
Three police officials have told The Associated Press that a woman who died in the police raid Wednesday was Abaaoud's cousin. One said the woman, Hasna Aitboulahcen, is believed to have detonated a suicide vest in the building after a brief conversation with police officers. It was not clear if she had any role in the attacks.
The official confirmed an audio recording, punctuated by gunshots, in which an officer asks: "Where is your boyfriend?" and she responds angrily: "He's not my boyfriend!" Then loud bangs are heard.
The bodies recovered in the raid were badly mangled, with part of Aitboulahcen's spine landing on a police car, slowing down the identification process, according to one of the officials.
The three all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to divulge details of the investigation.
French police launched the operation after receiving information from tapped phone calls, surveillance and tipoffs suggesting that Abaaoud was holed up in the apartment. Eight people were arrested in the raid.
"We can't cry 'victory over terrorism'," said Michel Thooris, secretary-general for the France Police labor union. "The situation is far more complex than one bad guy."
"It's a good thing, but we don't think the entire network has been taken down," he said.
Cazenueve said Thursday that Abaaoud was believed to be behind four of six attacks thwarted since spring by French authorities, including a planned April attack on a church in the Parisian suburb of Villejuif that was foiled when the would-be attacker shot himself in the foot and another on a high-speed train where three young Americans tackled a heavily armed man.
No one was killed in the train attack, but the would-be church attacker was blamed for the death of a woman found shot in her car.
Also Thursday, authorities in Belgium said they had detained nine people during as many raids in and around Brussels relating to the Paris attacks or one of the suicide bombers. There were already two suspects in custody charged with terrorist murder and belonging to a terrorist group.
An official in the Belgian federal prosecutor's office told The Associated Press the raids were taking place in the suburb of Molenbeek, where Abaaoud lived, and other areas of Brussels. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
With France still reeling from the attacks, France's lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, voted Thursday to extend a state of emergency for three months. The measure now goes to the Senate, where it likely will be approved.
The state of emergency expands police powers to carry out arrests and searches, and allows authorities to forbid the movement of people and vehicles at specific times and places.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls had pressed for the extension, warning that Islamic extremists might at use chemical or biological weapons.
"Terrorism hit France not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria ... but for what it is," Valls told lawmakers. "We know that there could also be a risk of chemical or biological weapons."
Valls did not say there was a specific threat against France involving such weapons, however.
Later Thursday Cazeneuve said he had requested a meeting of European interior and justice ministers Friday in Brussels to discuss the fight against terrorism.
"Everyone must understand that it is urgent for Europe to recover, get organized and defend itself against the terrorist threat," Cazeneuve said.
Elsewhere in Europe, jittery leaders and law enforcement moved to protect their citizens as Rob Wainwright, director of the European Union's police coordination agency Europol, warned of "a very serious escalation" of the terror threat in Europe.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius urged the international community to do more to eradicate the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Fabius, speaking on France-Inter radio, said the group "is a monster. But if all the countries in the world aren't capable of fighting against 30,000 people (IS members), it's incomprehensible."
France has stepped up its airstrikes against extremists in Syria, and French military spokesman Col. Gilles Jaron said Thursday that French forces have destroyed 35 Islamic State targets in Syria since the attacks on Paris.
French President Francois Hollande is going to Washington and Moscow next week to push for a stronger international coalition against IS.
Francois Molins, the Paris prosecutor, said Wednesday that investigators found a cellphone in a garbage can outside the Bataclan concert hall in eastern Paris where 89 attack victims died. It contained a text message sent about 20 minutes after the massacre began. "We're off, it's started," it read.
Molins said investigators were still trying to identify the recipient of the message.
Seven of the Paris attackers died on the same night as the attacks. French authorities have said most of the attackers — five have been identified so far — were unknown to them. But two U.S. officials said that many, though not all, of those identified were on the U.S. no-fly list. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly.
French security forces have conducted 414 raids, making 60 arrests and seizing 75 weapons, including 11 military-style firearms.
