Salah Abdeslam, Main Paris Attacks Suspect, Is Extradited to France PARIS — Salah Abdeslam, a crucial suspect in the November Paris attacks who is thought to be the only direct participant to have survived, was handed over to France by Belgium on Wednesday, according to prosecutors in both countries. Mr. Abdeslam, who is also believed to be connected to the attacks in Brussels last month, was the subject of a European arrest warrant, which simplifies the usual extradition process for European Union countries and makes it a purely judicial move that drops political and administrative formalities. “Within the framework of the Paris attacks of the 13th of November 2015, Salah Abdeslam has been surrendered to the French authorities this morning,” the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “No further information will be given concerning the exact time or the circumstances of his transfer.” The Paris prosecutor’s office also confirmed in a statement that Mr. Abdeslam had been turned over to the French authorities. Mr. Abdeslam arrived on French territory at 9:05 a.m., the statement said, but it did not specify how or where he was brought to the authorities. The Paris prosecutor’s office said that Mr. Abdeslam would be presented later on Wednesday before investigative judges, and that the authorities hope that charges will be filed at that point. Mr. Abdeslam is believed to have been part of the team of 10 Islamic State operatives that carried out a series of shootings and suicide bombings in Paris and in its northern suburb of St.-Denis on the evening of Nov. 13, killing 130 and wounding over 400. Mr. Abdeslam, a French citizen of Moroccan ancestry who lived in Belgium, fled Paris to Brussels in the early hours of Nov. 14. He was the target of a four-month international manhunt before he was arrested on March 18 in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, his hometown. French and Belgian investigators have found evidence that suggests Mr. Abdeslam was heavily involved in preparations for the Paris attacks. He rented cars and at least one safe house, bought material used to make explosives, and drove across Europe to pick up other suspects. But Mr. Abdeslam’s exact role on the night of the attacks is still unclear, and experts have questioned how valuable he will be to investigators in France. He is suspected of driving three suicide bombers to the Stade de France soccer stadium in St.-Denis, and investigators are still trying to establish whether he had intended to carry out another attack. Shortly after his arrest, Mr. Abdeslam told investigators that he had “backed out” of carrying out a suicide bombing against the Stade de France. A discarded suicide vest that was believed to belong to him was found in a southern suburb of Paris after the attacks. Mr. Abdeslam is also suspected of being connected to the March 22 suicide bombings that killed 32 at Brussels Airport and at a subway station in the Belgian capital, and which were carried out by members of a network that is thought to have also orchestrated the Paris attacks. Mr. Abdeslam was also charged with attempted murder last week in Belgium, in connection with a shootout between the police and gunmen on March 15 in the Forest section of Brussels, three days before his arrest.

• published: 27 Apr 2016
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