Belgians hunting 2 linked to Paris attacks after shootout

Belgian investigators are hunting for two suspects who fled an apartment linked to the November 13 attacks in Paris, after a police sniper killed a third man and uncovered weapons, ammunition and an Islamic State flag, officials say.

Four officers were wounded in yesterday’s joint French-Belgian raid in a Brussels neighborhood and related searches.

Officials say the hunt is on for two more suspects who have not been identified. Two people are in custody.

Police officers secure an area during an apartment raid in Brussels on Tuesday March 15, 2016. Belgian police launched an anti-terror raid linked to last year's Paris attacks in a Brussels neighborhood on Tuesday. (AP/Thierry Monasse)
Police officers secure an area during an apartment raid in Brussels on Tuesday March 15, 2016. Belgian police launched an anti-terror raid linked to last year’s Paris attacks in a Brussels neighborhood on Tuesday. (AP/Thierry Monasse)

The dead man was identified as an Algerian man living illegally in Belgium, Mohamed Belkaid, whose only contact with authorities appeared to be a years-old theft charge, said Thierry Werts, the Belgian federal prosecutor.

Belkaid, 35, was shot to death by a police sniper as he prepared to fire from a window, Werts said. Police also detained one man who was dropped off at a nearby hospital with a broken leg and another found in an overnight house search.

The anti-terror raid in the Forest neighborhood was linked to the November 13 gun-and-bombing attacks on a stadium, cafes and a concert hall in Paris that left 130 people dead.

— AP

Most Popular