Ninth suspect arrested in Belgium over Paris attacks

Authorities say the man, identified only as Abdoullah C., is facing murder and terrorism charges.

He is “suspected to have had several contacts” with Hasna Aitboulahcen, a 26-year-old cousin of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 28, the Belgian believed to have been the chief planner of the attacks, according to the prosecutor’s office. 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.

Police did not immediately announce his arrest in order to avoid alerting potential accomplices, a spokesman said.

The Sleutelstraat – near the Dansaertstraat and the Beurs area in central Brussels – was the scene of a new house search in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks, late on Sunday.

The Paris attacks were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

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.

The authorities said the possible extension of his detention would be decided Thursday.

Armed police and soldiers now patrol the streets in Brussels, Europe’s diplomatic hub and home to the European Union, NATO and a host of major companies.

Gunfire and explosions shook the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis early Wednesday as heavily armed police stormed a building where suspects linked to Friday’s deadly terrorist attacks were believed to be holed up.

On Monday police detained five people in several searches in Brussels, but all were released later that day.