Fugitive Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam was captured in a terror raid in Belgium Friday, along with two other suspects, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Friday.
Abdeslam, 26, was nabbed in the Brussels suburb of Molenbook after “intense and detailed work” by security forces, Michel said in a press conference. Five people in all were detained during Friday’s raids, Belgium’s prosecutor said.
Abdeslam had been on the run for more than four months and was believed to be the final terror suspect at large. Another man and three members of a family that allegedly hid Abdeslam were also arrested, the Belgium federal prosecutor’s office said.
French President Francois Hollande said Friday Abdeslam was “directly tied to the organization and perpetration of the attacks in Paris” that killed 130 people. Hollande said two “two co-conspirators” were among those arrested in the Belgium raid, and said other arrests are possible.
Hollande said he expected Abdeslam would be extradited to France as quickly as possible. “We need to advance finding the truth and to ensure justice for the people who want to live in freedom,” Hollande said.
The coordinated ISIS attacks in Paris killed 130 people who were out enjoying a Friday night on Nov. 13, 2015, targeting cafes, a rock concert, and a stadium. One of Abdeslam’s brothers blew himself up in the terror attack, while another has repeatedly urged Abdeslam to turn himself in.
Belgium police conducted raids of three houses at 4:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. ET), Belgian Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said at a news conference, and federal police arrested Abdeslam at one of those houses.
Abdeslam suffered an injury to his leg during the arrest, Van der Sypt said. The four other people arrested were taken into custody at that residence and they will be questioned, Van der Sypt said.
French Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve said the terror threat in France remains high. “The fight against terrorism must continue unabated. Thoughts for the November 13th victims,” he said in a Tweet.
Abdeslam, suspected of being the eighth person ISIS said took part in the Paris attacks, is believed to have crossed into Belgium following the bloody spree. The terrorists who died in the siege were French and Belgian.
President Barack Obama called Belgium Prime Minister and Hollande to congratulate them on the arrests, the White House said.
The brother who urged Abdeslam turn himself, Mohamed, has told Belgian broadcaster RTBF that he had noticed a “slight change” in Abdeslam’s behavior — when they started praying more and gave up drinking — but said that they did not appear to have been “radicalized.”
Frank J. Cilluffo, a former U.S. counter terrorism official who directs the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, told NBC News Abdeslam’s capture alive could provide “valuable insights to prevent and pre-empt future incidents.” Authorities will want to find out how he has evaded them in Belgium for so long, he said. They will also want to answer a key question about the Paris terror plots: “Was it hatched a long time ago in Syria and Iraq,” or was it more of a decentralized, ad hoc operation planned in Europe? Belkaid is suspected of helping the Paris attackers. Belgian prosecutors said earlier Friday they had found Abdelsam’s fingerprints at the scene of that raid, in Brussels. Congratulations to #Belgium authorities on capture of #ISIL terrorist Saleh #Abdeslam. We will never forget his and all ISIL victims. #Paris “Abdeslam’s arrest sends the message to terrorists around the world that they cannot hide and that it’s only a matter of time before they answer for their heinous crimes,” she said in a statement. F. Brinley Bruton and Ken Dilanian also contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
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