Belgian authorities arrest 9th suspect over Paris attacks

The fake identity card of one of the suspects was also used to wire money from Brussels to Paris and Hasna Aitboulachen four days before the attacks. Those contacts allegedly took place between the attacks and a subsequent police shootout in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, in which both Mr. Abaaoud and his niece died, the prosecutor’s office said. Several of the suspects including the attackers’ ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, had lived in the Brussels district of Molenbeek.

Police are still searching for Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, who is believed to have participated in the Paris attacks before contacting friends in Belgium to drive him back over the border to Brussels.

The man, whose full name was not disclosed, is being held on charges of taking part in a terrorist group and terrorist murders, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said.

Prosecutors say the five, including two brothers, were detained after searches related to the Paris attacks. The Belgian capital was effectively shut down for four days, with the metro, schools and many shops closed. The Islamic State (IS, or Daesh in Arabic) claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Following the attacks in Paris, the focus of the investigation turned to Belgium, where several people suspected of having aided the attackers have been arrested.