The man initially believed to have masterminded the Paris attacks was only a "coordinator" and French intelligence has now discovered the true identity of the terrorist leader behind the massacre.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian-Moroccan killed by police five days after the November 13 atrocities, was only a go-between, not a senior figure, the head of France's external intelligence agency told a parliamentary inquiry.
"We know the mastermind but I will remain discreet on this point," Bernard Bajolet testified to a committee of MPs, it has emerged.
Security sources said the Isis commander who ordered the attacks remains at large.
They declined to specify his name or whereabouts but said every effort was being made to capture him.