Belgian and French authorities combed an area of western Belgium on Thursday as part of an investigation into a French terror suspect, Reda Kriket.
Soldiers and police were seen cordoning off part of the Belgian town of Kortrijk, not far from the French border. Military vehicles blocked roads and sniffer dogs were led through the woods as soldiers picked through brush.
Belgium’s prosecutor confirmed that the operation in Kortrijk — also known as Courtrai — was related to an ongoing investigation into Kriket.
RELATED: Reda Kriket Arrested, Linked to Paris Ringleader
A joint team of Belgian and French investigators searched a piece of land in the municipality of Marke, near Kortrijk, the prosecutor said in a statement.
It did not provide further details on if anything was found.
The Paris prosecutor’s office, which handles all terrorism investigations, did not return calls, texts or emails for comment from NBC News.
Local police in Kortrijk referred calls to the Brussels federal prosecutor, which handles terrorism investigations.
Kriket was arrested last Thursday in the French suburb of Argenteuil — two days after bombers hit Belgium’s airport and subway — on suspicion of plotting an imminent terror attack.
His apartment was packed with an “unprecedented” arsenal of weapons including assault rifles and explosives, the Paris prosecutor told a press conference on Wednesday.
Officials have said the 34-year-old French national’s arrest was not tied to the Brussels attacks last week. Kriket does have links, however, to a separate European terror spree. He was sentenced in absentia in July 2015 on charges of jointly leading terrorist activities alongside Abdelhamid Abaaoud — the alleged ringleader of the Paris attacks last year which left 130 dead. Belgian officials have arrested two people — identified as Abderamane A. and Rabah N. — with alleged ties to Kriket. Another suspected accomplice — named as Anis B. — was arrested in the Netherlands. This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.
Cassandra Vinograd Recommended
