Clearly, the hesitation shown by Western leaders to eradicate the Islamic State has allowed the militant group to expand its reach, but there were alarming signs that French intelligence may have been caught sleeping.
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Also Monday, French President Francois Hollande is scheduled to meet in Paris with British Prime Minister David Cameron and will travel to Washington and Moscow later in the week to push for a stronger global coalition against IS. Cameron is expected to outline his plan for combating the militants as he seeks parliamentary approval to join France, the USA and Russian Federation in striking the group’s strongholds in Syria.
Seven attackers died during their assault on Paris including Brahim Abdeslam, who blew himself up outside a bar, and a huge manhunt is under way for his brother Salah Abdeslam, who is believed to have fled to Belgium.
Belgian officials would not release details about the identities of those detained, nor specific charges against the suspects, “in the interest of the investigation” while security operations are continuing.
Federal prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt says police “want to thank the press and social media users because they took the need of this operation into account”.
Police are yet to reveal whether Europe’s most wanted man Salah Abdesalam was among those arrested.
Van Der Sypt said: “For the time being, we can not confirm if there is a relation between the ongoing investigation and this arrest”.
The prime minister also announced Monday that Belgium will remain on the highest alert, level 4, until further notice, while the rest of the country will remain on level 3. In recent days, police raids in Molenbeek, the largely immigrant area of Brussels that several of the Paris attackers called home, and in other neighbourhoods had uncovered explosives and weapons, but neither was recovered yesterday, prosecutors said.
But Interior Minister Jan Jambon said on November 22 that the current threat was greater than that posed by Abdeslam. “We are looking at several things. That’s why we’ve put in place such a concentration of resources”. “The potential targets remain the same; shopping centers and shopping streets and public transport”.
The object was found in a dustbin on Monday afternoon, a police source said, confirming information reported by France Info radio.
Extra security has been deployed on trains, in railway stations, and at airports.
The European Union’s executive Commission chose to stay open for business but its vice president, Kristalina Georgieva, warned people to be vigilant and expect increased security checks.
In another puzzle, investigators are analyzing the DNA of a third person who was killed during the major police raid Wednesday in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis that targeted Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader.
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Belgium has been at the center of the search for those involved with the deadly Paris attacks after it emerged that two of the suicide bombers had been residing in Brussels for sometime prior.
