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Sven Mary, lawyer for Paris attack suspect, Salah Abdeslam, told reporters on March 19, 2016 in Brussels, that his client would fight extradition to France for the November terrorist killings.(Photo: Stephanie Lecocq, EPA)
Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in November's deadly attacks in Paris, admitted he took part in the rampage, but said he abandoned the plan<span style="color: Red;">*</span>at the last minute and discarded his suicide vest after driving the other terrorists to their targets, a French official said Saturday.
Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins, speaking to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reporters<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the French capital, said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Abdeslam told<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Belgian authorities he was supposed to die in the shooting spree Nov. 13 that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>killed 130 people. Molins did not say if<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Abdeslam<span style="color: Red;">*</span>explained<span style="color: Red;">*</span>why he backed out of the operation.
Abdeslam, 26, and five other suspects were taken<span style="color: Red;">*</span>into custody Friday by heavily armed police who descended on the apartment where he was staying in the Brussels suburb of Moleenbeck, his hometown.
After his arrest, Abdeslam<span style="color: Red;">*</span>spent the night in the hospital recovering from a leg wound sustained in the raid, but was released Saturday and taken to a judicial hearing, according to his attorney,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sven Mary.
Asked by reporters if his client, who has been transferred to a jail, confirmed he was in Paris on the day of the attacks,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mary said, "He was there," Le Soir reported. The lawyer said Abdeslam was cooperating with authorities, but will fight immediate extradition to France.
Abdeslam<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and an accomplice identified as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Monir Ahmed Alaaj, alias Amine Choukri, have been<span style="color: Red;">*</span>formally charged with "terrorist murder and participation in a terrorist group," Reuters reported.
A third man arrested in the operation in Molenbeek was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>charged with being a member of a terrorist organization and aiding and abetting criminals. A female detainee, Djemila M., was charged with aiding and abetting and was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>released, Belgian<span style="color: Red;">*</span>prosecutors said in a statement. A second woman was released without charge.
Abdeslam is subject to a European arrest warrant issued by France, but Mary told<span style="color: Red;">*</span>journalists Saturday after a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>hearing<span style="color: Red;">*</span>before<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a Belgian investigating magistrate that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“we will refuse the extradition.” Abdeslam<span style="color: Red;">*</span>faces<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a pretrial court, which will decide whether he stays in jail for up to another month.
Once doctors declare<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Abdeslam fit to face questioning, he will be interrogated by Belgian investigators, possibly in the presence of French authorities. His lawyer may be present for the discussions.
“If he starts talking then I presume it will mean he stays longer in Belgium,” said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Belgian federal prosecutor Van der Sypt.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>But “sooner or later he will be extradited to France.”
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference Saturday that his government has no “political objections” to handing Abdeslam over to the French, but wants to fully respect Belgian judicial procedure, which “can take at least a couple of weeks.”
French and Belgian anti-terrorism prosecutors planned<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a call Saturday that will include a discussion on the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>extradition issue,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Thierry Werts said.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>In a bid to speed the process, French authorities issued a new European arrest warrant Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
In Paris, French President Francois Hollande held an emergency security meeting in the Elysee palace Saturday with top security officials, the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>military chief, the prime minister and the ministers of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>foreign affairs, Defense, interior and justice. Hollande has warned of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"more arrests" that could help dismantle the network that organized the Paris shooting spree.
On Saturday, Interpol called<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying accomplices of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Abdeslam may try to flee in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the wake of his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>capture. The<span style="color: Red;">*</span>international police agency recommended closer checks at borders, especially for stolen passports. Many of the Nov. 13 attackers and accomplices traveled on falsified or stolen documents
Yvan Mayeur, the Brussels mayor, said on Twitter that “the two suspected terrorists” — Abdeslam and an accomplice<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>were discharged from Brussels' CHU St. Pierre hospital Saturday morning.
The five<span style="color: Red;">*</span>suspects<span style="color: Red;">*</span>taken into custody<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in Friday’s raid included<span style="color: Red;">*</span>three members of a family that sheltered Abdeslam, who was on the run for four months.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, according to Van der Sypt. He said it<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was possible Abdeslam had spent days, weeks or months in the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>apartment.
Abdeslam<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is believed to be the lone survivor of 10 terrorists who mounted<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>killing spree on Nov. 13<span style="color: Red;">*</span>at<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Paris cafes, a rock concert and a stadium. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Most of the terrorists died that night, including Abdeslam’s brother Brahim, who blew himself up. French officials said Salah<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Abdeslam<span style="color: Red;">*</span>discarded his suicide vest and cellphone and fled the city.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>He is believed to have<span style="color: Red;">*</span>evaded<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a checkpoint on the highway between Paris and Brussels that night.
Two other people believed linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known by the alias of Soufiane Kayal.
The French newsweekly L'Express, quoting an unidentified source close to the investigation, reported Saturday that Choukri, who was arrested in Friday's raid,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>apparently returned to Europe from Syria on Sept. 20 by the Greek island of Leros among a flow of refugees.
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