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Updates Give A Deeper Look Into Paris Attacks

by Jo Yurcaba

Information about the coordinated attacks in Paris was slowly unfolding Sunday morning, when a manhunt for one suspect began and investigators uncovered a number of new details about some of the attackers, whom investigators and French President Francois Hollande said acted on behalf of the Islamic State. Day three updates on the Paris attacks also included a new death toll. The Agence France-Presse tweeted Sunday that three people who were injured died in the hospital, bringing the number of people killed by the attacks to 132.

Investigators have confirmed that the attacks, which took place at six different locations across Paris, were indeed a highly coordinated effort, according to CNN. But what authorities are having more trouble discerning is just how the eight suspects planned and carried out their attacks without being detected by any intelligence agencies. Investigators made a number of arrests in Belgium and were questioning people close to one of the suspects who is still at large, but details about those arrested were slim, according to CNN.

People around the world have stood with Paris in solidarity by changing their Facebook profile pictures and donating to organizations that are helping on the ground. But it's pretty clear that the nation won't be able to truly begin its healing process until investigators apprehend all of those who were involved. Here are the latest updates on the tragic attacks in Paris.

Three Attackers Identified

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Two of the suicide bombers who died in the attacks at French concert venue the Bataclan were identified by investigators as Ismael Omar Mostefai and Abbdulakbak B., according to the International Business Times. Mostefai was a French national and was reportedly identified after the attacks through a severed finger. Mostefai's father and brother were being held by French authorities on suspicion that they were involved in the attacks, though it has not been confirmed whether they were. No additional information has been released about Abbdulakbak.

A French senator also reportedly told CNN that one of the three suicide bombers at the Stade de France came to the European Union hidden among Syrian refugees seeking asylum. He identified himself as Ahmad al Mohammad and said he was Syrian, according to CNN. Under new EU procedures to help shelter refugees, Mohammad was given an emergency-passport like document. Authorities identified him by matching his fingerprints to those of the person registered for travel documents in Leros, the Greek island where Mohammad entered Europe, according to CNN.

Two of the other bombers at the stadium carried Turkish passports, and at least two others aside from Mostefai were French citizens, according to the New York Times.

A Manhunt For An Eighth Suspect Began Sunday

French authorities released a photo of Salah Abdeslam Sunday and asked the public for information about him and his whereabouts, according to the Times. They said that Abdeslam and two of his brothers, who are all French and lived in Belgium, orchestrated the attacks in Paris. Officials in Belgium told reporters that one of Abdeslam's brothers had died in Friday's attack. Investigators said there were eight suspects, though only seven attackers had died Friday, according to the Times.

On Sunday, investigators found an abandoned car in Montreuil, an eastern Paris suburb, with three Kalashnikov automatic rifles inside of it, according to CNN. The find supported some investigators' theories that one or more of the suspected attackers had escaped. Five arrests were made in Molenbeek, a, suburb of Brussels, in connection with the car, according to BBC News. Seven additional people were in custody in France, according to the IB Times.

Investigators said Abdeslam was "potentially involved" in the attacks Friday and warned the public that he is dangerous, according to the Times:

Do not intervene on your own, under any circumstances.

State Of Emergency Could Last Three Months

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Also on Sunday, Hollande said that he wanted to extend the state of emergency in France by three months, according to the IB Times. The state of emergency allows the government to set curfews, limit mass gatherings and certain movements within the countries borders, and amp up security procedures in public spaces, according to France 24.

Hollande said France "will be merciless toward the barbarians of Islamic State group," according to Fox News.

The Attackers Did Communicate With ISIS

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Officials in both Europe and the U.S. said Sunday the Paris attackers did communicate beforehand with people who were known to be members of the Islamic State in Syria, according to the Times. Information shared with the press hasn't established a clear link between the attackers and ISIS, but officials said that the attackers definitely operated with enough sophistication that their attack wasn't just inspired by a radical group. More likely, the attack was orchestrated by a radical group and the attackers were trained by that group, according to the Times.

European officials who were not authorized to speak publicly told the Times that evidence shows the attackers and ISIS members communicated using encryption technology, though it's unclear what tools they were using.