9th suspect in Paris terror attacks arrested

Belgian authorities have announced the arrest of a ninth suspect, a man they said had been in contact with the cousin of the man suspected of masterminding the attacks, AP reported. He was detained on December 22.

The man was arrested earlier this week but prosecutors kept it quiet in order not to alert potential accomplices, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors said. Lazez, 39, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, was arrested last month in the Belgian town of Laeken and is suspected of helping key suspect Salah Abdeslam flee France. “The recent events proved how important it is to invest in justice, the police, the army and intelligence services”.

“It seems important to me to return to the foundation of our society, to what we most wish to hold on to: our values and the rules of coexistence”.

On November 13, extremists carried out a series of coordinated attacks at various locations in the French capital, killing 130 people and injuring over 350 others. On Thursday, Abdoullah C. will appear in court, where a judge will decide if his detention should be extended.

The man, born in 1985, is suspected of having had “several contacts” with Hasna Ait Boulahcen, niece of the ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud.

Amri and Attou have now been charged for their role in assisting Abdeslam.

The attacks and the Belgian links to them have shocked the country and sparked a sharp increase in visible security, with armed police and soldiers patrolling the streets in Brussels.