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Defiant French Enjoy Paris, Mark One Week Since Terror Attacks

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A man holds a glass of champaign on the "Republique" square, a week after a series of deadly attacks in the French capital, in Paris, France, Nov. 20, 2015.
A man holds a glass of champaign on the "Republique" square, a week after a series of deadly attacks in the French capital, in Paris, France, Nov. 20, 2015.

Thousands of defiant Parisians marked the one-week anniversary of the terror attacks by spending a typical night on the town in the French capital — strolling, drinking in bars, and listening to music.

Many laid wreaths and lit candles or just stood in silence at the city's Place de la Republique, which has become a central memorial to victims of terror.

Earlier, tens of thousands of Muslims lined up in a heavy rain for Friday prayers at Paris' central mosque. Security was very tight and each worshipper was patted down before being allowed in.

Many who turned out say they want to demonstrate that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism and say Muslims are also victims of the Paris attacks.

WATCH: Related video report from VOA's Daniel Schearf in Paris

UN resolution

In New York, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously for a French resolution urging all members to take "all necessary measures" to fight Islamic State and redouble their efforts to prevent another terrorist attack.

"Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security," the resolution read.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for last Friday's multiple coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 and wounding more than 350.

European Union justice and interior ministers met in emergency session in Brussels and announced tighter border controls across what has been a passport-free zone for Europeans. Travelers will now have their passports examined and personal information compared against databases and an airline passenger name registry.

Europe's passport-free zone has come under sharp scrutiny following the revelation that the Belgian mastermind of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, apparently fought for Islamic State in Syria, then returned undetected to Paris to carry out last Friday's terror strikes.

Abaaoud died Thursday during a massive police raid of his hideout in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Police fired more than 5,000 bullets during the seven-hour shootout.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said no EU state notified France that Abaaoud had returned to Europe. Cazeneuve said it is "urgent that Europe wakes up, organizes itself and defends itself against the terrorist threat."

The Paris prosecutor said police found a third body overnight in the Saint-Denis apartment raided by police. The prosecutor's office said the body was that of a woman, but her identity was not immediately clear. Abaaoud's body and the body of his female cousin, Hasna Aitboulahcen, were discovered earlier.

Belgian soldiers and police patrol on Brussels Grand Place after security was tightened in Belgium following the fatal attacks in Paris last week, in Brussels, Belgium, Nov. 20, 2015.
Belgian soldiers and police patrol on Brussels Grand Place after security was tightened in Belgium following the fatal attacks in Paris last week, in Brussels, Belgium, Nov. 20, 2015.

Search intensifies

Meanwhile, the manhunt continues for at least one suspected terrorist on the run since the Paris attacks.

French officials admit they do not know where Salah Abdelslam is, but the search for him intensified across France and Belgium Friday and now reportedly includes the Netherlands.

Abdelslam, who is believed to have helped carry out the Paris attacks, became Europe’s most wanted fugitive after an international arrest warrant was issued for him.

An Alpini Regiment of the Italian Army checks visitors outside the Milan's cathedral, northern Italy, Nov. 20, 2015. Italy and Sweden increased security around public buildings after receiving reports that attacks might be planned on their soil.
An Alpini Regiment of the Italian Army checks visitors outside the Milan's cathedral, northern Italy, Nov. 20, 2015. Italy and Sweden increased security around public buildings after receiving reports that attacks might be planned on their soil.

French authorities said they have conducted nearly 800 raids since the Paris attacks, detaining 90 people, putting another 164 under house arrest and collecting 174 weapons.

Belgian authorities conducted nine raids Thursday in several parts of Brussels. Nine people were arrested. One person who has not yet been identified has been charged. Some of the homes searched were in the Molenbeek neighborhood of where Abdelslam lived along with his his brother Ibrahim, who blew himself up outside one of the cafes attacked in Paris.

Some of the raids were connected to Bilal Hadfi, who blew himself up outside the French stadium that was attacked.

France confirmed Thursday that Abaaoud, considered the chief architect of the attack on Paris, was killed in the police raid. His body was riddled with bullets and burned in a fire that swept through the apartment, but prosecutors said they identified the remains from fingerprints.

Officials said he has been implicated in four of six foiled attacks in the country this year.

French soldiers patrol near the Museum of Civilizations from Europe and the Mediterranean (MuCEM) in Marseille, France, as security increases after last Friday's deadly attacks in Paris, Nov. 20, 2015.
French soldiers patrol near the Museum of Civilizations from Europe and the Mediterranean (MuCEM) in Marseille, France, as security increases after last Friday's deadly attacks in Paris, Nov. 20, 2015.

A French security official said that Abaaoud's participation in last week's attacks was confirmed by a surveillance camera at the Croix de Chavaux metro station that captured his image. Abaaoud was a Belgian national of Moroccan descent who was implicated in four of six terror attacks foiled in France earlier this year.

In other developments, Italian authorities are searching for five terror suspects after receiving a tip from the U.S. FBI about possible attacks being planned against St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Milan’s Duomo, and the La Scala Opera House.

New York and Washington have been named in videos as potential Islamic State militant targets, although local and national law-enforcement officials say they have not received word of any credible threat of Paris-style attacks.

VOA's Luis Ramirez contributed to this report from London.

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