Paris attacks: Bosnian suspect arrested in Germany
A Bosnian man has been arrested in Germany in connection with the 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more.
The 39-year-old suspect was detained on a European arrest warrant issued by the Belgian authorities, officials said.
He is accused of “abetting a terrorist organisation” linked to the attacks.
The co-ordinated suicide bombing and mass shootings around Paris are believed to have been masterminded by Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian national.
He was killed in a police raid in Saint-Denis, northern Paris, on 18 November 2015.
Belgium was itself hit by attacks on an airport and metro station in 2016 – by suspects linked to the Paris attackers.
The sole surviving French attacker, Salah Abdeslam, was shot and injured during a dramatic arrest in Brussels after months on the run and was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.
On Thursday, German federal police and prosecutors in Dresden said in a joint statement they detained a man last week on suspicion of involvement in the attacks in Paris “including on the Bataclan concert hall” on Friday 13 November 2015.
The man, who has not been officially named, had previously been the focus of a separate investigation involving two Bosnian citizens suspected of trading illegal arms, including military weapons, Germany’s Focus news website reported (in German).
The Islamic State group said it was behind the Paris attacks nearly four years ago, which targeted a concert hall, a major stadium, restaurants and bars.
Police believe Abdelhamid Abaaoud was the ringleader of the attacks in the French capital, while his accomplice, Chakib Akrouh, blew himself up during the police raid.
In March this year, a man who lent his flat to the two men was sentenced on appeal to four years in prison.
Jawad Bendaoud, 32, denied knowing the pair were jihadists.
Source: bbc.co.uk
