German police say no sign of Paris attack suspect after raid

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - German police launched an operation on Tuesday after getting a tip-off that Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam, at the centre of an international manhunt, was in northwestern Germany but said they have so far found no indication that he is there. The police received a lead that Abdeslam might be at an address known to them in the area of Minden and Luebbecke in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Abdeslam, whose brother blew himself up in the Paris attacks which killed at least 130 people, has been on the run since Nov. 13. As a French citizen, he can travel freely between countries in the European Union's Schengen area where there are no border controls. Police in Bielefeld said they had been following up a lead from a witness who informed them that they saw someone resembling the suspect. "After initial intensive investigations, there has so far been no indication to confirm the suspicion," the police said in a statement. "The deployment is continuing at the moment." A spokesman also denied a newspaper report that they had made an arrest. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel)