Belgium police arrest 21, Paris fugitive still at large

(AP) -- Belgian police launched more raids in Brussels and beyond early Monday, detaining five more people as they continued their hunt for a fugitive suspect in the Paris attacks. In Paris, British

News 12 Staff

Nov 24, 2015, 4:52 AM

Updated 3,096 days ago

Share:

Belgium police arrest 21, Paris fugitive still at large
(AP) -- Belgian police launched more raids in Brussels and beyond early Monday, detaining five more people as they continued their hunt for a fugitive suspect in the Paris attacks.
In Paris, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he will ask for parliamentary approval for the U.K. to join airstrikes against Islamic State extremists in Syria.
The raids began late Sunday, capping a tense weekend that saw hundreds of troops patrolling and authorities hunting for one or more suspected extremists including Salah Abdeslam, a fugitive since being named a suspect in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. Between Sunday night and midday Monday, 21 people were detained
The Belgian government kept the capital on the highest state of alert in the face of what it described as a "serious and imminent" threat, preventing a return to normal in the city that is also host to the European Union's main institutions.
Federal prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said 19 raids were carried out Sunday in Molenbeek, home to many of the Paris attackers, and other boroughs of Brussels, and three raids were carried out in Charleroi. Abdeslam was not among those arrested. Van Der Sypt said no firearms or explosives were found.
Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon told the RTL network that Abdeslam "must have a lot of support on our territory. That's why all these searches being conducted at the moment are important."
Police fired two shots at a car that approached them as they searched a snack bar in Molenbeek, Van Der Sypt said. The vehicle escaped but was stopped later in Brussels, and a wounded person inside was arrested. It was not immediately known if the person was linked to the investigation into the Paris attacks.
Cameron and French President Francois Hollande, meeting in Paris, paid a quiet visit to the Bataclan concert venue, which saw the worst of the carnage in Paris. Hollande plans to meet later this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkeld and then U.S. President Barack Obama in pursuit of a unified strategy in Syria.
Britain has been carrying out airstrikes in Iraq, but Cameron has long wished for an expanded mandate to include targets in Syria. But having lost a vote once two years ago, his government had been reluctant to even suggest a vote until it could be certain it would win.
Belgian authorities said more raids Monday in Brussels and eastern Liege yielded five more detentions.
The federal prosecutor said in a statement that a BMW sighting near Liege that had been rumored to contain Abdeslam had no links with the ongoing investigation.
Several of the Paris attackers had lived in Brussels, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the plot's orchestrator who was killed Wednesday in a standoff with French police. Police issued a new public appeal for help in identifying the third attacker who was killed in the assault at the national stadium. They posted a photo of the man on Twitter, asking the public for information.
France has intensified its aerial bombing in Syria and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which has been sent to the Mediterranean, will be "operational" from Monday and "ready to act."
France has extended a state of emergency which allows police raids, searches and house arrest without permission from a judge, for three months. On Saturday, it also extended a ban on demonstrations and other gatherings through Nov. 30, when a U.N. climate conference with more than 100 heads of state is scheduled to start.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more; the suicide bombings in Beirut that killed 43 people and injured more than 200; and the downing of the Russian jetliner carrying 224 people in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. All happened within the past month.
___
Lori Hinnant in Paris, John-Thor Dahlburg and Raf Casert in Brussels and Danica Kirka in London contributed.


More from News 12
0:39
Man faces arson charges for setting state trooper's father's house on fire after getting speeding ticket

Man faces arson charges for setting state trooper's father's house on fire after getting speeding ticket

2:16
Nearby coastal storm sending round of moisture toward the Hudson Valley

Nearby coastal storm sending round of moisture toward the Hudson Valley

0:39
 2 Ulster County property owners ordered to pay $8M for illegal waste dumping at 3 locations

2 Ulster County property owners ordered to pay $8M for illegal waste dumping at 3 locations

1:48
Erratic school bus driver in Monsey identified, traced to private school

Erratic school bus driver in Monsey identified, traced to private school

0:37
Police: Hyde Park Central School District BOCES student dies in crash, 3 others injured

Police: Hyde Park Central School District BOCES student dies in crash, 3 others injured

0:37
North Rockland School District awarded $2.4 M for Universal pre-K programs

North Rockland School District awarded $2.4 M for Universal pre-K programs

0:32
Westchester nonprofit receives more money to fight food insecurity

Westchester nonprofit receives more money to fight food insecurity

1:23
DA spokesperson: SUNY Purchase protesters arrested at pro-Palestinian encampment may avoid prosecution

DA spokesperson: SUNY Purchase protesters arrested at pro-Palestinian encampment may avoid prosecution

1:44
Senior club celebrates WWII veteran's 100th birthday

Senior club celebrates WWII veteran's 100th birthday

1:45
Hudson Valley advocates in Washington, DC lobbying for traffic safety project funding

Hudson Valley advocates in Washington, DC lobbying for traffic safety project funding

1:49
Biden administration seeks to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III.  What this means and its impacts on businesses

Biden administration seeks to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III. What this means and its impacts on businesses

0:53
Exclusive footage reveals moments before Yonkers school bus crash

Exclusive footage reveals moments before Yonkers school bus crash

2:18
Search underway for missing Westchester County teenagers

Search underway for missing Westchester County teenagers

1:28
Caught on camera: Family's dog fends off bear in Sullivan County

Caught on camera: Family's dog fends off bear in Sullivan County

0:32
Westchester County offering free mosquito dunks ahead of peak mosquito season

Westchester County offering free mosquito dunks ahead of peak mosquito season

0:37
Police arrest masked man seen on nighttime Ring video at Port Jervis family’s doorstep

Police arrest masked man seen on nighttime Ring video at Port Jervis family’s doorstep

0:40
4-day weekend! Some school districts extend Memorial Day weekend

4-day weekend! Some school districts extend Memorial Day weekend

Giants making 'Hard Knocks' debut in a new series focusing on the offseason

Giants making 'Hard Knocks' debut in a new series focusing on the offseason

0:33
Authorities: Goshen parolee arrested after weapons found in home

Authorities: Goshen parolee arrested after weapons found in home

0:44
SUNY New Paltz graduation ceremonies split, held indoors 2 weeks after dozens of pro-Palestinian protester arrests on campus

SUNY New Paltz graduation ceremonies split, held indoors 2 weeks after dozens of pro-Palestinian protester arrests on campus