appear to be troops out in military uniforms out on the street. all they're doing is holding the cordon. they're not in any way involved directly in the operation. but it is a jarring sight to see armed troops on the streets of a quiet town in france. >> i'm sure many of the citizens feel the same way as you do. ben plesser, nbc news producer travels with richard engel, we appreciate you being on the phone with us and giving us all that information. again, just to reiterate, for those of you who are just joining us at this hour, police raids starting at about 4:20 saint-denis, paris, france, time this morning being carried out in that suburb. it's a french suburb just north of paris. police believed they were targeting a man named abdelhamid abaaoud, the alleged mastermind. he was the likely target of this