Several people suspected of having ties to the alleged ringleader of last month’s Paris terror attacks are based in Britain, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday (Dec 4).
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Police are investigating the claims that one of the terrorists rang the number “on several occasions” before launching the attacks that killed 130 people, according to The Mirror.
The officials told the Journal those people, including some of Moroccan heritage, were based in the Birmingham area, in central England, about 120 miles (190 km) from London. But Jihadi groups are often loosely arraigned and contacts, including the use of social media, are widespread.
Abaaoud, a Belgian national of Moroccan descent, died during a raid by French police days after the attacks.
Britain says seven plots have been foiled in the past year, although not on the same scale as those carried out in Paris, with counter-terrorism officers making on average an arrest every day.
However, The London Metropolitan City Police refused to comment anything on this report by WSJ.
In both cities he met people suspected of having the intention and capability of plotting or assisting terrorist activity against Britain.
West Midlands Police Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, said: ” The West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit is working hand-in-hand with counter terrorism colleagues in London, the national CT network and security services to provide support to the French and Belgian investigations and of course to address any associated terrorism threat to the UK.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said Abaaoud was known to have trained as a fighter with the so-called Islamic State and had “criss-crossed between Syria and Europe and back again”.
The UK’s terror alert remains at its second-highest level, severe – meaning an attack is highly likely.
Memorial… Messages and artwork left in front of the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in memory of victims of the November 13 terrorist attack.
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The men were thought to be carrying bogus IDs with the names of Samir Bouzid and Soufiane Kayal.
