Belgian authorities have charged a ninth person in connection with the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13th that killed 130 people, federal prosecutors have said, reports The Guardian.
A spokesman said the suspect had telephoned Hasna Aitboulachen, the cousin of ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, several times after the attacks and before a police raid five days later in which they both died.
A statement later identified the man as Abdoullah C, a Belgian national born in 1985, who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of “terrorist murders and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation”.
The attacks and the Belgian links to them have shocked the country and sparked a sharp increase in visible security, with armed police and soldiers patrolling the streets in Brussels.
The police are looking in particular for Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, who is believed to have fled from Paris back to the Belgian capital the day after the attacks on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium. A source close to the investigation told AFP last week that Abdeslam, who is believed to have played a key role in the Paris attacks, had got through three police checks as friends drove him from Paris.