'Not all heroes are human': French police dog killed in raid

A police dog named "Diesel" was killed during a police raid on Wednesday that targeted the suspected mastermind of deadly terror attacks in Paris.

On social media, the hashtag #JeSuisChien, which means "I am dog," began trending worldwide on Twitter as people tweeted tributes to the dog.

The hashtag was used over 55,000 times after the dog's death was announced and is a nod to the #JeSuisCharlie hashtag that was used after the January terror attack at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.  

The 7-year-old Belgian Shepherd was killed sometime during the seven-hour siege on an apartment in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis; French police tweeted on Wednesday. 

Police posted a photo of Diesel and said, “assault and explosives search dogs are indispensable in the missions of the operators of the RAID."

The raid ended Wednesday with the arrest of seven people with suspected links to the Paris attacks. Two other suspects, including a female suicide bomber who detonated explosives as police entered the apartment, were killed.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said phone data and eyewitness statements led police to the apartment as part of the manhunt for Abaaoud.

On Twitter, one woman wrote, "A dog sacrificing his life for a battle caused by men... He truly can be called our best friend #RIPDiesel#JeSuisChien."

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY Network.

Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.