Belgium detains Paris attack suspects
December 3, 2015
Belgian police said Thursday they were holding two suspects under house arrest in connection with the events in Paris, bringing the total number of terrorism-related arrests made since the November 13 attacks to eight.
The first suspect, a 20-year-old French national known only as Samir Z., was arrested at the Brussels airport as he was attempting to fly to Morocco.
A second man, identified as Pierre N., was apprehended during a raid in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, an area with ties to several suspects linked to the Paris massacre. Samir Z. also lived in Molenbeek.
The search continues
Authorities in the country have cracked down heavily on suspects with ties to terrorism-related activities ever since it was revealed some of the attackers in Paris hailed from Belgium.
The last suspect to be arrested was a Brussels man charged with "terrorist attacks and taking part in the activities of a terrorist group." Police also questioned the man's family members.
Belgium had been on high alert for nearly a week as police searched the city for those with ties to the terrorists. The November 13 attacks left 130 people dead and spurred an ongoing state of emergency in neighboring France.
blc/jm (AP, dpa, Reuters)