Morocco arrests Belgium citizen connected to Paris attacks News
Morocco arrests Belgium citizen connected to Paris attacks

[JURIST] Moroccan police on Monday arrested a Belgian man with a “direct relationship” to the November attack in Paris that killed 130 people. The Moroccan Interior Ministry said [BBC report] the individual in question, whose name has not been released, traveled to Syria with one of the Saint-Denis suicide bombers. The head of Morocco’s central Bureau of Judicial Investigations in a recent interview with the AP [AP report] stated that he has helped the French and Belgian authorities make multiple arrests in connection with the attacks on November 13th. Numerous attackers were of Moroccan and Belgian origin.

Authorities in Belgium are still searching for suspects that have been linked to the terrorist attacks in France on November 13. Paris’ chief prosecutor Francois Molins reported the day after the attack that several arrests [JURIST report] had already been made, and numerous raids have since been conducted in France and Belgium. Organized in three teams, terrorists reportedly connected to the Islamic State (IS) [JURIST backgrounder] perpetrated attacks on six different targets in and around Paris. The attacks began with a suicide bombing at the Stade de France around 9:20 PM local time. Soon thereafter, individuals riding in a Seat brand car opened fire on individuals outside cafes around Paris. At around 9:40 PM, assailants fired on concert-goers at the Bataclan concert hall, killing 89. Molins related that these individuals were using “war-type weapons” and explosives, further indicating association with IS. Speaking about the attacks generally, French President Francois Hollande called them [BBC report] “an act of war,” and vowed that the French “will lead the fight” and will be “ruthless.” A UN rights expert also commented in November that the attacks may amount to crimes against humanity [JURIST report].