Latest News: Paris suspect eludes Belgian dragnet, Brussels still in lock down
Paris suspect eludes Belgian dragnet, Brussels still in lock down
Belgian police arrested 16 more people in late-night raids searching for those behind the deadly Nov. 13 Attacks in Paris, but failed to find a prime suspect as the government locked down the capital for a third day on Monday.Brussels will again see its metro and many shops closed, as well as
schools, while offices in a city that is also home to the European Union
and NATO are likely to have few staff after the prime minister warned
of imminent Paris-style attacks.Salah
Abdeslam, the 26-year-old suspect from Brussels who has been on the run
since he left Paris hours after his elder brother blew himself up at a
cafe there, continues to elude a Europe-wide manhunt. A third brother, who was not involved, said Abdeslam may have thought better of going through with the killing. Belgian police fear he returned home to launch new attacks."What we fear is an attack similar to the one in Paris, with several
individuals who could possibly launch several attacks at the same time
in multiple locations," Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news
conference early on Sunday evening.Shortly afterwards, armed police backed by armored vehicles and
helicopters stationed overhead began a series of raids in which 19
premises in Brussels and three in the industrial city of Charleroi, 50
km (35 miles) to the south, were searched.Prosecutor
Eric van der Sypt told a news conference early on Monday that no
weapons or explosives were found and that a judge would review the
detentions of the 16 arrested. In one incident, police fired on a car that was later found in
Brussels, but it was not clear, van der Sypt said, if it was linked to
the case."Abdeslam Salah was not found during the raids," he added.Several
Belgian media carried unsourced reports saying Abdeslam had been
spotted in a car near Liege heading towards the German border. There have been numerous reported sightings in recent days, but
Abdeslam, a petty criminal who ran a bar in Brussels' Molenbeek
immigrant quarter, has eluded police.Three
people have so far been charged in Belgium, where French authorities
say the Paris attacks were organized among Brussels' substantial network
of Islamic State followers, some of whom have fought in Syria. Two admit they drove Abdeslam back to Brussels from Paris but deny taking part in any violence.Related Coverage> Belgian police arrest 16, fail to find Paris attacks key suspectFEAR OF ATTACKFear
of what Abdeslam or other suspected jihadists might be planning caused
Belgium to call off an international soccer match last Tuesday. Late on Friday, it raised to the maximum Level Four the security alert in the capital. Michel renewed that advice on Sunday, shutting much of Brussels for a third day on Monday.Possible targets are malls, shopping streets and public transport,
Michel said, adding the government would boost police and army presence
in the capital beyond already high levels.Interior
Minister Jan Jambon said Abdeslam was not the only security threat: "It
is a threat that goes beyond just that one person," he told broadcaster
VRT. "We're looking at more. That's why we've put in place such a concentration of resources."Bernard Clerfayt, the mayor of the Brussels district of Schaerbeek,
was quoted by broadcaster RTBF as saying there were "two terrorists" in
the capital area ready to carry out violence.
Finance ministers of the euro zone countries will go ahead with a meeting at the European Council in eastern Brussels, EU officials said, but other EU meetings have been canceled.Michel said a new evaluation of the situation would be made on Monday afternoon and everything was being done to return the city to normal as quickly as possible.Commuters trying to get to work will suffer delays as a result of the metro closure, although some companies had already indicated on Sunday they were ready for staff to work from home, easing childcare problems caused by schools being shut.Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed. Two of the suicide bombers, Brahim Abdeslam and Bilal Hadfi, lived in Brussels.Mohamed Abdeslam, the brother of Brahim and Salah, urged Salah in an interview on RTBF television to give himself up, adding he believed he was still alive because he had had a last-minute change of heart while in Paris. The lawyer of one of the men who picked him up said her client had noticed he was "extremely nervous" as they drove back to Brussels, being pulled over and let go three times by French police.Related Coverage> Eurogroup to meet Monday despite Brussels security alertIn France, investigators on Sunday extended into a fifth day the detention of a man arrested on Wednesday outside the building where the suspected ringleader died in a raid. Police also released a picture of a man they said had blown himself up in the attacks and called for witnesses.LOCKDOWNThe Belgian government has advised the public to be alert but not to panic. People have been told to avoid crowds in the capital, while authorities have also closed museums, cinemas and shopping centres. Clubs and venues have canceled events.Brussels' chief rabbi said the city's synagogues were shut over the weekend for the first time since World War Two. Soldiers are on guard at Jewish sites and public buildings.The city was quiet and largely untroubled until after dark on Sunday. Shops are usually shut on Sundays. But business owners and hotelkeepers are starting to worry that the tourist trade, which usually picks up with a glittering Christmas market in Brussels' picturesque old town, could start to be damaged.Forced indoors, some of Brussels' multilingual 1.2 Million residents took to social media to share and joke about their frustration. Twitter hashtag # BrusselsLockdown spawned many photos of kittens, some in combat gear, a wry reference to the security level: Four, or in French, Quatre - pronounced Cat '.Translate from: EnglishParis suspect eludes Belgian trap, Brussels still secureBelgian police arrested 16 other people in raids late at night looking for those behind the deadly November 13 attack in Paris, but failed to find the suspect and the government has locked down the capital for a third day on Monday.Brussels will see again the metro, and closed many shops, as well as schools, while likely to be a small number of employees after the prime minister warned of attacks similar to Paris imminent offices in the city which is also home to the European Union and NATO.Salah Abdel-Salam, the suspect, 26-year-old from Brussels, who was on the run since he left Paris, hours after his older brother blew himself up in a cafe there, remains elusive hunt and Europe wide campaign. The third brother, who was not involved, said Abdul Salam had thought better of going through with the murder. Belgian police fear he returned to launch new attacks."What we fear is an attack similar to those in Paris, with the number of people who perhaps might launch several attacks at the same time in multiple locations," Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference as early as Sunday evening.Shortly afterwards, armed police backed by armored vehicles and helicopters in the sky of the region stationed a series of raids in which 19 buildings in Brussels and three in the industrial city of Charleroi, 50 kilometers began (35 miles) to the south, it has been inspected.The Attorney General Eric van der Sypt at a news conference early on Monday that no weapons or explosives were found and that the judge will reconsider the detention of 16 were arrested. Van der Sypt said in one incident, police opened fire on the car, which was found later in Brussels, but it was not clear if it was linked to the case."Not Found Abdul Salam Salah during raids," he added.Several Belgian media reports based on a sound source said Abdul Salam spotted in a car near Liege heading towards the German border. There have been many scenes reported in recent days, but Abdul Salam, a small criminal who ran a bar in the quarter immigrant Molenbeek Brussels, eluded police.He accused the three people so far in Belgium, where it says the French authorities organized attacks between Paris Brussels large network of followers of the Islamic state, and some of them fought in Syria. Two confessed that they drove Abdul Salam to Brussels from Paris, but denied participating in any acts of violence.Related Coverage
> Belgian police arrest 16, fail to find the attacks on the Paris prime suspectFear of attacksCause fear of what Abdul Salam jihadists or other suspects might be planning to cancel the Belgium international football match on Tuesday. Late on Friday, it is raised to the maximum level in four security alert in the capital. Michel renewed advise that on Sunday shut down a lot of Brussels for a third day in a row on Monday.Michel said potential targets are centers and shopping streets and public transport, adding that the government will strengthen the police and the army in the capital exceeds the high levels already.The Minister of the Interior in January Gambon was Abdul Salam is not the only security threat: "It is a threat that goes beyond just that one person," said broadcaster VRT. "We are looking at more than that. This is why we have put in place such a concentration of resources."The newspaper quoted Bernard Clerfayt, mayor of Brussels region Prime Scarpak, by broadcaster RTBF as saying that there were "two terrorists" in the metropolitan area are willing to carry out acts of violence.EU officials said the euro zone finance ministers to move forward at a meeting in the European Council in Brussels East, but was canceled other meetings in the European Union.Michel said the new assessment of the situation on Monday afternoon and everything is being done to return the city to normal as soon as possible.Passengers trying to get to work and suffers from delays as a result of the closure of the subway, despite the fact that some companies have already indicated on Sunday they were ready for employees to work from home, and easing the care of children caused by the problems of the schools that were closed.Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the attacks Paris where 130 people were killed. Two suicide bombers, Ibrahim Abdul-Salam Bilal Hadfi, lived in Brussels.Mohamed Abdel Salam, brother and Ibrahim Salah, Salah urged in an interview with RTBF television to turn himself in, he said, adding that he believes he is still alive because it has changed in the last minute of the heart while in Paris had happened. He said one of the men who picked him up that her client's lawyer noted he was "very nervous" as they drove to Brussels, being pulled over and left three times by the French police.Related Coverage
> Euro group to meet Monday despite security alert BrusselsIn France, the extension of the investigators on Sunday for a fifth day to the arrest of a man was arrested on Wednesday outside the building where the suspected leader was killed in a raid. Police also released a picture of a man they said blew himself up in the attacks and called witnesses.insuranceThe Belgian government has advised the public to be alert but not to panic. People have been told to avoid the crowds in the capital, while the authorities have also closed museums, cinemas and shopping centers. Canceled clubs and places of events.He said Rabbi Brussels synagogues in the city were closed over the weekend for the first time since World War II. Soldiers on standby at Jewish sites and public buildings.The city was quiet and largely untroubled until after dark on Sunday. Usually closed shops on Sunday. But business owners and hotelkeepers began to worry that the tourist trade, which usually picks up with glittering gala Christmas market in Brussels, "the picturesque Old Town, can begin to be damaged.Forced at home, and some of the languages of the 1.2 million inhabitants of Brussels took to social media to share and joke about their frustration. Twitter Hachtaj #BrusselsLockdown generated many pictures of cats, some of them in combat gear, in a wry reference to the security level: four, or in France, CUTTER - cat and clearer.
Finance ministers of the euro zone countries will go ahead with a meeting at the European Council in eastern Brussels, EU officials said, but other EU meetings have been canceled.Michel said a new evaluation of the situation would be made on Monday afternoon and everything was being done to return the city to normal as quickly as possible.Commuters trying to get to work will suffer delays as a result of the metro closure, although some companies had already indicated on Sunday they were ready for staff to work from home, easing childcare problems caused by schools being shut.Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed. Two of the suicide bombers, Brahim Abdeslam and Bilal Hadfi, lived in Brussels.Mohamed Abdeslam, the brother of Brahim and Salah, urged Salah in an interview on RTBF television to give himself up, adding he believed he was still alive because he had had a last-minute change of heart while in Paris. The lawyer of one of the men who picked him up said her client had noticed he was "extremely nervous" as they drove back to Brussels, being pulled over and let go three times by French police.Related Coverage> Eurogroup to meet Monday despite Brussels security alertIn France, investigators on Sunday extended into a fifth day the detention of a man arrested on Wednesday outside the building where the suspected ringleader died in a raid. Police also released a picture of a man they said had blown himself up in the attacks and called for witnesses.LOCKDOWNThe Belgian government has advised the public to be alert but not to panic. People have been told to avoid crowds in the capital, while authorities have also closed museums, cinemas and shopping centres. Clubs and venues have canceled events.Brussels' chief rabbi said the city's synagogues were shut over the weekend for the first time since World War Two. Soldiers are on guard at Jewish sites and public buildings.The city was quiet and largely untroubled until after dark on Sunday. Shops are usually shut on Sundays. But business owners and hotelkeepers are starting to worry that the tourist trade, which usually picks up with a glittering Christmas market in Brussels' picturesque old town, could start to be damaged.Forced indoors, some of Brussels' multilingual 1.2 Million residents took to social media to share and joke about their frustration. Twitter hashtag # BrusselsLockdown spawned many photos of kittens, some in combat gear, a wry reference to the security level: Four, or in French, Quatre - pronounced Cat '.Translate from: EnglishParis suspect eludes Belgian trap, Brussels still secureBelgian police arrested 16 other people in raids late at night looking for those behind the deadly November 13 attack in Paris, but failed to find the suspect and the government has locked down the capital for a third day on Monday.Brussels will see again the metro, and closed many shops, as well as schools, while likely to be a small number of employees after the prime minister warned of attacks similar to Paris imminent offices in the city which is also home to the European Union and NATO.Salah Abdel-Salam, the suspect, 26-year-old from Brussels, who was on the run since he left Paris, hours after his older brother blew himself up in a cafe there, remains elusive hunt and Europe wide campaign. The third brother, who was not involved, said Abdul Salam had thought better of going through with the murder. Belgian police fear he returned to launch new attacks."What we fear is an attack similar to those in Paris, with the number of people who perhaps might launch several attacks at the same time in multiple locations," Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference as early as Sunday evening.Shortly afterwards, armed police backed by armored vehicles and helicopters in the sky of the region stationed a series of raids in which 19 buildings in Brussels and three in the industrial city of Charleroi, 50 kilometers began (35 miles) to the south, it has been inspected.The Attorney General Eric van der Sypt at a news conference early on Monday that no weapons or explosives were found and that the judge will reconsider the detention of 16 were arrested. Van der Sypt said in one incident, police opened fire on the car, which was found later in Brussels, but it was not clear if it was linked to the case."Not Found Abdul Salam Salah during raids," he added.Several Belgian media reports based on a sound source said Abdul Salam spotted in a car near Liege heading towards the German border. There have been many scenes reported in recent days, but Abdul Salam, a small criminal who ran a bar in the quarter immigrant Molenbeek Brussels, eluded police.He accused the three people so far in Belgium, where it says the French authorities organized attacks between Paris Brussels large network of followers of the Islamic state, and some of them fought in Syria. Two confessed that they drove Abdul Salam to Brussels from Paris, but denied participating in any acts of violence.Related Coverage
> Belgian police arrest 16, fail to find the attacks on the Paris prime suspectFear of attacksCause fear of what Abdul Salam jihadists or other suspects might be planning to cancel the Belgium international football match on Tuesday. Late on Friday, it is raised to the maximum level in four security alert in the capital. Michel renewed advise that on Sunday shut down a lot of Brussels for a third day in a row on Monday.Michel said potential targets are centers and shopping streets and public transport, adding that the government will strengthen the police and the army in the capital exceeds the high levels already.The Minister of the Interior in January Gambon was Abdul Salam is not the only security threat: "It is a threat that goes beyond just that one person," said broadcaster VRT. "We are looking at more than that. This is why we have put in place such a concentration of resources."The newspaper quoted Bernard Clerfayt, mayor of Brussels region Prime Scarpak, by broadcaster RTBF as saying that there were "two terrorists" in the metropolitan area are willing to carry out acts of violence.EU officials said the euro zone finance ministers to move forward at a meeting in the European Council in Brussels East, but was canceled other meetings in the European Union.Michel said the new assessment of the situation on Monday afternoon and everything is being done to return the city to normal as soon as possible.Passengers trying to get to work and suffers from delays as a result of the closure of the subway, despite the fact that some companies have already indicated on Sunday they were ready for employees to work from home, and easing the care of children caused by the problems of the schools that were closed.Belgium has been at the heart of investigations into the attacks Paris where 130 people were killed. Two suicide bombers, Ibrahim Abdul-Salam Bilal Hadfi, lived in Brussels.Mohamed Abdel Salam, brother and Ibrahim Salah, Salah urged in an interview with RTBF television to turn himself in, he said, adding that he believes he is still alive because it has changed in the last minute of the heart while in Paris had happened. He said one of the men who picked him up that her client's lawyer noted he was "very nervous" as they drove to Brussels, being pulled over and left three times by the French police.Related Coverage
> Euro group to meet Monday despite security alert BrusselsIn France, the extension of the investigators on Sunday for a fifth day to the arrest of a man was arrested on Wednesday outside the building where the suspected leader was killed in a raid. Police also released a picture of a man they said blew himself up in the attacks and called witnesses.insuranceThe Belgian government has advised the public to be alert but not to panic. People have been told to avoid the crowds in the capital, while the authorities have also closed museums, cinemas and shopping centers. Canceled clubs and places of events.He said Rabbi Brussels synagogues in the city were closed over the weekend for the first time since World War II. Soldiers on standby at Jewish sites and public buildings.The city was quiet and largely untroubled until after dark on Sunday. Usually closed shops on Sunday. But business owners and hotelkeepers began to worry that the tourist trade, which usually picks up with glittering gala Christmas market in Brussels, "the picturesque Old Town, can begin to be damaged.Forced at home, and some of the languages of the 1.2 million inhabitants of Brussels took to social media to share and joke about their frustration. Twitter Hachtaj #BrusselsLockdown generated many pictures of cats, some of them in combat gear, in a wry reference to the security level: four, or in France, CUTTER - cat and clearer.
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