Loud boom and orange flashes were reportedly heard and seen by witnesses who saw special forces putting French murder suspect Mohammed Merah under siege, ABC News is reporting. The deputy mayor of Toulouse confirmed that the Special Forces have begun assaulting Merah’s hide-out.

Police also turned powerful spotlights on Merah’s apartment, as they aimed to blind the heavily-armed suspect. He is wanted for the murder of three french soldiers, a rabbi and three Jewish schoolchildren, in three separate attacks over the past two weeks.

French prosecutor Francois Molins said the 24-year-old suspect has taken responsibility for the attacks, and had been planning to “act again by killing a soldier whom he had already identified,” as well as Toulouse police officers. President Nicolas Sarkozy told Jewish community leaders that Merah had been stopped before the could carry out another terror attack.

Merah is a French citizen of Algerian decent. He claims to have ties to al Qaeda, and wanted to avenge the deaths of Palestinian children and protest France’s involvement in Afghanistan.

Police tracked Merah down after one of his brothers allegedly asked a motorcycle sales assistant how to modify the GPS tracker on a motorbike. The sales assistant then contacted the police.

Written by: Karen Benardello