Belgium Asks Morocco to Share Intelligence Amid Hunt for Paris Attacker

Belgium's King Philippe spoke to Moroccan King Mohammed VI regarding security and intelligence cooperation in the wake of the recent attacks in Paris, Morocco's interior ministry said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – King Philippe relayed the Belgian government's request for closer and more extensive cooperation in intelligence and security to Morocco's King Mohammed VI, the ministry's statement said, according to local media.

Following a phone call, Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon spoke to his Moroccan counterpart, discussing details of implementing the request.

Belgium's request comes as Brussels remains in lockdown for a fourth day as fugitive Salah Abdeslam, suspected of participating in the Paris terror attacks, evades the manhunt.

Morocco possesses intelligence about European terror suspects of Moroccan origin, Belgian media said. Information supplied by Morocco was crucial in the hunt for Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged mastermind behind the November 13 attacks, according to media reports. Abaaoud was killed by French security services in a raid in the Saint-Denis suburb north of Paris on November 18.

The terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people, and injured over 360. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, operating in Syria and Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attacks.