Five arrested including Paris suspect Abdeslam: prosecutors

Image
AFP Brussels
Last Updated : Mar 19 2016 | 2:57 AM IST
Belgian police have arrested five people in counter-terror raids in Brussels, including Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam and the family who sheltered him, prosecutors said.
"A total of five people were arrested following three raids this afternoon," Thierry Werts, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office, told a press conference yesterday.
Special federal police forces arrested Abdeslam, who has been on the run since the deadly November 13 attacks, wounding him lightly in the leg during an afternoon raid in the capital's gritty immigrant neighbourhood of Molenbeek.
"He was taken to the hospital for treatment," Werts said.
The police also shot and slightly wounded another man at the same address and took him to hospital.
Another three people, all members of the same family who sheltered Abdeslam, were also arrested and will be interviewed by investigators, Werts said.
At an earlier joint press conference, French President Francois Hollande and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel reported that Abdeslam and two other people had been arrested in the raids.
Earlier this week, Belgian and French police raided an apartment in the Forest district of Brussels, shooting dead a 35-year-old Algerian identified as Mohamed Belkaid, who was living illegally in Belgium.
Werts said police were trying to determine whether Abdeslam and the other man arrested with him were the two who fled the raid in Forest. "It's a theory," he added.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 19 2016 | 2:57 AM IST

Next Story