Paris attacks: Armed police raid on Brussels’ ‘jihadi heartland’ draws a blank

A special forces raid on a Brussels suburb in the hunt for Europe’s most wanted man has drawn a blank. There were reports of gunshots and explosions and police were reported to have used tear gas as they swooped on the suburb of Molenbeek. Salah Abdeslam, a Frenchman wanted in connection with Friday’s massacre, was said to have been captured in the raid after a man was seen with his arms up at a window. But the 26-year-old remained at large after prosecutors in Belgium confirmed no one had been arrested.

The operation is over and the result is negative. No-one was arrested.

Eric Van Der Sypt, spokesman for Belgian prosecutor’s office

The raid by heavily armed police in Molenbeek, which has a substantial Muslim population of mostly Moroccan and Turkish immigrants, came after two of the suspects were identified as having lived in the district. One of Salah Abdeslam’s brothers, Brahim, was among the suicide bombers. Another brother, Mohamed, was released without being charged by Belgian authorities on Monday along with four other suspects. His lawyer, Natalie Gallant, said he had only learnt in the last hour how his brother, Brahim, died. Her client’s focus was now on the rest of his family and on retaining the job he has had for the past 10 years. Belgian politicians, including prime minister Charles Michel and his interior minister Jan Jambon have long warned that Molenbeek is a centre of Muslim radicalisation.

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