Germany says Abdeslam not arrested in Aachen

Germany’s top security official is downplaying possible links between arrests near the western city of Aachen and the investigation of the Paris attacks.

Police saiy SWAT teams arrested a man and two women in the town of Alsdorf on Tuesday after authorities received a tip from the public that the man might be Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect sought in the attacks. Police later arrested two more persons in the town.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere tells reporters in Berlin that it wasn’t clear how the people might be linked to the Paris attacks, if at all, “but sadly it’s not the man that everyone hoped it would be.”

Austrian authorities say Abdeslam entered Austria from Germany September 9 — four days before the attacks — with two companions.

— AP