Paris Terror Suspect Spent Three Weeks Hiding in Brussels Apartment

The key suspect in November’s Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, spent three weeks immediately following the attacks hiding in an apartment in Brussels, local media reported Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Contrary to earlier speculation regarding Abdeslam's whereabouts following the terrorist attacks, the suspect spent 20 days hiding at 86 Henri Berge street in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, the Belgian Derniere Heure newspaper reported, citing informed sources.

According to previous assumptions, Abdeslam hid at 47 Delaunoy street before escaping from the apartment hidden in a cabinet when the building was raided on November 16. Other scenarios speculated that the attacker might have fled to Syria. New details indicate that the attacker was hiding in the other side of the city after being taken to the location in a car by Ali Oulkadi, the last man known to have seen Abdeslam.

The attacker then left his hiding place on December 4 due to increased police raids across the district, the publication said.

On January 8, Belgian prosecutors revealed that they had found Abdeslam's fingerprints in an apartment in Schaerbeek. The police raid took place on December 9, according to the newspaper, with police discovering traces of explosives and the suspect's DNA.

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.

Islamic State (IS, or Daesh in Arabic) claimed responsibility for the attacks. The organization is outlawed in many countries, including Russia. A number of terrorists allegedly responsible for the attacks traveled to Paris from Belgium, according to police.