2 12 2015

New arrests – new threats

French police arrested yesterday 25-year old Mohamed S. another accomplice of Abdelhamid Abaaoud in a western suburb of Paris and taken into custody. His detention may last for four days. According to a source close to the investigation, it is suspected that he was acting as an intermediary between the niece of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who sought a refuge for her cousin, and Jawad Bendaoud, who offered the two perpetrators a shelter. Bendaoud is currently the only one who has been indicted in the criminal investigation into the attacks in Paris on November 13, which left 130 dead and more than 350 wounded. He was indicted for terrorism-related offenses.

In Belgium there are six suspects already in the prison cell. Salah Abdeslam, a co-perpetrator of the attacks in Paris, is still on the run. A suspect, Ahmed Dahmani, was already arrested in Turkey. Police raided the apartments in the northern Paris suburb of SaintDenis for five days after the attacks where Abdelhamid Abaaoud, his cousin and an unknown person hid. All three were killed.

Meanwhile, there’s been a new threat uttered by the terrorist group Islamic State. This comes from none other than the 15-year-old brother of Abdelhamid Abaaoud and this threat to Europe is to avenge his brother’s death. This teenager is a Belgian Syrian fighter who spoke yesterday about the revenge plans. He lived before in Molenbeek but brought to Syria by his own brother. The threat was posted in Facebook under a photo of Younes Abaaoud. The pictures on the account of the messenger – who calls himself Abu Soufiane – shown that he is still in Syria. And in December of last year, he had the non-extremist sister of Abaaouds still on his friends’ list but now deleted after interviewed by international media. Among his current friends are extremists from Western Europe, including the returning and already sentenced Antwerp Syrian fighter Michael ‘Younnes’ Delefortrie.

About The Author

Arlene Andes

Public & Press Relations Officer / Journalist / Radio & TV Personality Belgium