Brother urges key suspect in Paris attacks to surrender
Mohamed Abdeslam says that by turning himself in to police, Salah Abdeslam will help 'shed light' on deadly assaults
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The brother of key Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam on Tuesday urged his brother to surrender, as police in France and Belgium stepped up their hunt for the fugitive.
“I advise him to surrender to the police,” his brother Mohamed Abdeslam, who was himself arrested and freed without charge in Belgium, told France’s BFMTV news channel.
“The best thing would be for him to surrender so that the legal system can shed full light on the case. I remind you that Salah has never been able to tell his side of the story to the police and that he is therefore presumed innocent.”
France says that the “dangerous” Salah Abdeslam is wanted in connection with Friday’s attacks and that a third brother, Brahim, was one of the suicide attackers who launched the carnage in Paris.
Belgian police had detained Mohamed Abdeslam on Saturday as part of a wave of arrests, but he was freed without charge on Monday along with four other suspects. Two further suspects were charged with involvement with terrorism.
On Sunday, France issued an international arrest warrant for Abdeslam; French police put out a photo of the fugitive saying the suspect is on the run and too dangerous for anyone outside law enforcement to engage directly.
“We are a family. We are thinking about him. We are wondering where he is, and if he is frightened, and if he is eating,” Mohamed Abdeslam said.
He told Belgium’s RTL television at his family home in Brussels on Monday that “he grew up here, studied here, he is a totally normal lad.”
Abdeslam’s brother, Ibrahim, was also one of the gunmen in the attacks at a series of restaurants and bars in Paris on Friday. He died detonating his suicide vest.
Officials believe Salah Abdeslam rented the black Volkswagen Polo used by the group of hostage-takers that left at least 89 people dead inside the Bataclan music hall which was targeted in a series of three attacks. Dozens more were killed in attacks at the Stade de France soccer stadium and at cafes and bars.