Salah Abdeslam: New alert released suggesting Paris attacks suspect could be on the run in Citroen Xsara
It comes as the fate of alleged 'mastermind' Abdelhamid Abaaoud remains unclear after a raid in Saint-Denis
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Salah Abdeslam, a Paris attacks suspect who has been on the run since Friday, could be fleeing through Europe in a Citroen Xsara.
French authorities have released a new alert to forces across the continent asking them to remain vigilant for the car, registration AE-113-SY, which may be carrying the fugitive.
It follows a bulletin released the day after the attacks that killed 129 people in Paris, warning people not to approach Abdeslam, described as “dangerous”, and contact police immediately if he is seen.
A Spanish security official said the document had been sent to border control officers in the north-eastern Catalonia region next to France.
Abdeslam’s role in the Paris attacks has not been confirmed by police but his brother, Brahim blew himself up near a restaurant after spraying diners with bullets.
Both men had been questioned by police over their possible links to Isis, Le Figaro reported today.
The newspaper said they were arrested by authorities in Belgium after attempting to travel to Syria, but had not been reported to French intelligence services.
A spokesperson for the Belgian public prosecutor’s office said: “We knew they were radicalised and might visit Syria but they showed no sign of a possible threat.
“Even if we had reported it to France, I doubt we could have stopped (the attacks).”
Two Belgian men, Hamza Attou and Mohamed Amri, have admitted picking Abdeslam up in Paris after Friday’s attacks after receiving a phone call from him at around 2am asking for a lift.
They were stopped three times by police on their way back to Belgium but Abdeslam’s whereabouts afterwards are unclear and raids in Brussels and France have not located him.
Meanwhile, there is still no news on the fate of the suspected “mastermind” of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was targeted in a raid in Saint-Denis today.
The Paris prosecutor said intelligence suggested he was inside an apartment besieged by armed police in an operation that saw a female suicide bomber blow herself up and a male extremist killed.
Seven people were arrested but police have not confirmed the identity of any of those killed or detained.
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