No weapons or explosives were found, and the failure to capture Abdeslam will further undermine the reputation of Belgium’s security agencies.
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They revealed supposed mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed on Thursday, revisited the scene of the atrocity.
Abdeslam, 26, fled the massacre which claimed 130 lives last week rather than blowing himself up like some of the other attackers. We are getting word that a suspected suicide belt was found in a southern suburb of Paris. Its detonator had been removed. “We will intensify the air strikes and choose sites that could do as much damage as possible to this army of terrorists”, he said. Mostefai, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, was placed on the list in 2010, said French police sources.
At the moment, the manhunt is still ongoing for Salah, and authorities involved in the investigation are hopeful that the case will be resolved soon. Reuters exclusively reported the plot to attack the district of La Defense on November 18. Until six weeks before the attacks, Salah and his brother Brahim – one of the suicide bombers that night – were running a bar called Les Beguines on a quiet street in Molenbeek, a low-rent area of Brussels which has been linked with several attacks. An worldwide arrest warrant has also been issued for Abdeslam. This fits in with the theory that he dumped his suicide belt before getting into the auto.
Meanwhile, French and Russian authorities announced they will increase security at fan zones at next year’s European Championship and the 2018 World Cup following the attacks.
This undated file picture released on November 24, 2015 by Belgian federal police shows Mohamed Abrini (30) who was seen on November 11 at a gas station in Ressons on the highway heading to Paris.
The lawyer of one of the men who has been charged on suspicion of helping Abdeslam escape to Brussels after the carnage, said the key suspect “may have been ready to detonate”. Furthermore, 17 of those detained were released without charges, while three remain in custody for questioning.
Abaaoud was among three people who died during a police raid on an apartment in a northern Paris suburb in the days after the attacks.
Only one fugitive has been publicly named: Abdeslam, who crossed into Belgium the morning after the attacks.
There are other questions, too, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said.
Shortly before his arrest, Bendaoud told AFP he had lent his apartment to two people from Belgium as a favour to a friend.
The attack has been traced to a network of people with ties to both France and Belgium, where Abaaoud was from.
Police are yet to reveal whether Europe’s most wanted man Salah Abdesalam was among those arrested.
Bendaoud acknowledged in a telephone interview giving shelter to two people from Belgium but said he did not know who they were or what they planned.
“The vehicle was identified”. The prosecutor differed and said his suspected links with the attackers were being investigated.
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The capital Brussels was locked down Tuesday for a fourth day under a state of maximum alert.
