French authorities yesterday announced the death of suspected Paris attack mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud and his suicide bomber cousin, officially confirming two deaths already known to the world for a day, report agencies. Media reports broke the news of Abaaoud's death after a seven-hour raid Wednesday, but French officials did not say his fate until Thursday's announcement. Abaaoud's female cousin Hasna Aitboulahcen also died after detonating an explosives vest, police said. Authorities identified Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian national, through skin samples after finding his scorched corpse in a suburban Paris apartment, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said. They confirmed the Islamic State (IS) militant had died in a flat in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis. His body was found riddled with bullets and shrapnel in the apartment. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he had received intelligence that Abaaoud passed through Greece on his return from Syria. It is unclear whether the Belgian had concealed himself among the thousands of migrants arriving in Greece before heading for other EU nations.