Paris attacks: Schools and metro reopen in Brussels

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve also held a meeting with French Muslim leaders, who have denounced the attacks and expressed concern about a backlash on France’s Muslim community, which numbers about 5 million and is largely moderate.

He must be either charged or released Tuesday.

They admitted to driving from Brussels to Paris to fetch Abdeslam hours after his brother had blown himself up during the attacks, but denied any knowledge of what Abdeslam had been doing in France.

Jawad Bendaoud was charged with criminal association and detention of incendiary or explosive substances linked to a terrorist enterprise.

“If the French president asks me to think about what more we can do, then it’s our task to think about that and we will act quickly”, Merkel said, adding that the Islamic State “can’t be convinced with words, it must be fought with military means”. “I did a favour, sir”.

Police are hunting a Brussels man suspected of taking part in the Paris violence, and possible accomplices.

Prosecutors in Paris revealed late Tuesday that the alleged ringleader of the attacks had visited the Bataclan concert hall crime scene right after the November 13 attacks as riot police were still intervening, and planned to later blow himself up with an accomplice in the capital’s largest business district.

The threat level for Brussels had been raised on Saturday as police searched across Belgium for a suspect in the Paris terrorist attacks, in which 130 people were killed.

During the raid Abaaoud’s female cousin, Hasna Ait Boulahcen, was killed after another terrorist detonated a suicide vest while standing next to her. Molins said the third person was likely Abaaoud’s co-conspirator in the planned La Defense attack.

The prosecutor also said that there were at least nine attackers, more than the eight originally believed to be involved.

The threat level is expected to be in place until at least Monday unless there are significant developments, like the capturing of some suspects linked to the Paris attacks on November 13, who are believed to be in Belgium. He also returned to cafes and restaurants targeted in the attacks that have been claimed by the Islamic State group.

Some believe Abdeslam was using a support network in Belgium to avoid being captured, more than a week after an global arrest warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with the Paris attacks.

Belgium issued an worldwide arrest warrant for a man seen before the Paris attacks with Salah Abdeslam, the Brussels resident wanted over his suspected involvement in the attacks. Abrini, who has been described as “armed and unsafe”, was seen with Abdeslam at a gasoline station in the town of Ressons on the highway to Paris two days before the attacks.

Fearing a similar attack, Belgium maintained an unprecedented security lockdown in Europe’s capital Brussels, with Prime Minister Charles Michel warning that the threat “remains serious and imminent”, though schools and the Metro will reopen today.

“It seems paradoxical to say that (Brussels) is still at the highest threat level but it’s OK to open schools and subways”, said Neil Greenberg, a professor of mental health at King’s College London.