Paris attacks: Female suicide bomber was 'blonde Caucasian' witness claims as father tells of terror during Saint-Denis raid

The female suicide bomber who blew herself up during a massive police raid in a Paris suburb today appeared to be of Caucasian appearance with long blonde hair, according to a witness.

Lotfi, a 50 year old who was in the area, told Le Parisien : "I heard police officers talking to a woman with long blonde hair.

"I think she was the suicide bomber. They told her not to lower her arms, to keep her hands up in the air, and then there was a massive explosion.

"I think that’s when she detonated her bomb. It really was a very loud explosion.

"Lots of windows on the street were shattered, and then the firefight started and it was going on nonstop."

Lofti, who would not offer his surname, also said he saw police dog Diesel blown to pieces by the woman's bomb.

The police operation in Saint-Denis has ended after a six-hour siege, the French government announced.

Two people are dead seven have been arrested after the police shootout targeting the so-called mastermind behind the terror attacks in Paris on Friday that killed at least 129 people.

A father in the building raided by police has said he was ordered to leave his apartment because it was about to blow up.

"The witness to the raid was asleep in the suburb of Saint-Denis when he woke to the sounds of cries and gunshots.

"I was afraid. My son heard and he was crying a lot. I tried to calm him down but he was crying and then he did calm down.

"The police arrived and they said, ‘Get out quick! This building is going to blow up’.

"I said, ‘What is going on? What are we doing? I need to get things from there. I have things in there: nappies for my son, bank cards’.

"I wanted to get my money and get out of there.

"I threw myself on the floor and lay under the bed. I was scared and I waited - that is normal when you hear everyone firing, firing, firing.

"I thought if I left my house, they will kill me. While I was waiting the building was trembling underneath me.

"When I looked up, I saw that the third floor apartment had exploded, but I did not leave. I was scared. You do not know what to do.

"I was on the first floor but I did not see the police. I kept on thinking, ‘Where are the police?’, then I realised it was the police firing in the stairwell, not the terrorists, so they could take the terrorists and hit them. I was under the bed."

Abdelhami Abaaoud, 27, was believed to be living in Syria but has been identified by police sources as the target of the overnight operation .

Swat teams launched a pre-dawn raid and surrounded the apartment block at around 4.30am this morning.

It is believed up to six terror suspects were hiding in an apartment building and police have blocked off the area around Place Jean Jaures.

Another of the suspects is understood to be Salah Abdeslam, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant after Friday's terror attacks - which left 129 people dead.

Among those arrested was the landlord of the apartment who told AFP moments before his arrest that he had offered his apartment up to a friend of his as a favour.

Another of the suspects is understood to be Salah Abdeslam, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant after Friday's terror attacks - which left 129 people dead.