Paris attacks: Russia bombs Islamic State as suspects remain at large

Russia has joined France in a new wave of air and rocket strikes against Islamic State strongholds in Syria as a response to the terror attacks in Paris.

This follows Russia’s confirmation a bomb planted by IS affiliates brought down the Metrojet airliner over Sinai, killing all 224 on board.

French police continued their hunt for Islamist militants and their sympathisers, raiding 100 more homes and seizing weapons in a second night of searches across the country.

Police raids also expanded to Germany as new details emerged about the movements of some of the suspects in the days before the Islamic suicide bombers killed at least 129 people in Paris.

In other developments:

• Pressure grows for global response against Islamic State
• Republican governors object to White House Syrian migrant policy

Russians confirm Metrojet explosion
In a televised war room meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov said authorities had evidence that the Airbus A321 was downed by a homemade bomb, carrying the explosive equivalent of up to one kilogram of TNT.

“We can definitely say that this is a terrorist attack,” he said.

This triggered the first significant Russian effort to target Islamic State after entering the fray in Syria a few months ago.

At the same briefing, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the number of strikes had been doubled, destroying 140 terrorist facilities in Syria using sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers.

More details of attackers uncovered
Police released more information about the movements of some of the suspects and how they managed to put together their plot under the nose of authorities.

The named mastermind, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, is now in Syria after being convicted in absentia in Brussels earlier this year of recruiting jihadists for Islamic State.

French and Belgian authorities are also searching for Salah Abdeslam, whom they say rented a car used in the Friday night attacks and drove some of the suicide bombers through Paris.

The Austrian Interior Ministry said Abdeslam entered Austria from Germany on September 9 with two other men, where he was stopped, questioned and released.

His brother, Brahim Abdeslam, who killed dozens of people in bars before blowing himself up, used an online booking service to rent a house in Bobigny, a northeastern Paris suburb, a few days before the attacks.

World leaders join global campaign
World leaders pledged to deepen their involvement in a global campaign against the Islamic State.

President François Hollande will travel to Washington and Moscow toward the end of November as the French leader seeks to build a single coalition.

The Washington meeting will be on November 24 to meet President Barack Obama and on November 26 to meet President Vladimir Putin.

European ministers backed France’s request to trigger the EU’s mutual defence clause, opening the way for assistance to help Paris boost security at home and reinforce its overseas operations.

Mr Obama vowed to intensify all elements of his administration’s strategy, calling the terrorist attacks in Paris a “terrible and sickening setback” in the fight against extremism.

He pointed to recent US raids, airstrikes and ground deployments as the likely pattern for coming action. But Mr Obama said he would reject proposals calling for large deployments of US troops.

Republican governors reject Syrian refugees
Almost two dozen Republican governors in the US oppose allowing Syrian refugees to settle in their states.

High-ranking Republicans in Congress are also considering ways to stop the efforts to settle migrants, and a number of the party's presidential candidates have taken a similarly hard line.

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