Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam extradited to France

Paris terror attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has been extradited from Belgium to France and will face judges in Paris later today. The French prosecutor’s office said Abdeslam arrived in the French capital at 7.05am (9.05am local time). Authorities in Belgium confirmed the suspect had been handed over under a European arrest warrant issued on 19 March - the day after he was arrested in Brussels after four months on the run. French prosecutors are expected to request that he be jailed while he awaits charges over the 13 November attacks in Paris, in which 130 people were killed.

Within the framework of the Paris attacks of the 13th of November 2015, Salah Abdeslam has been surrendered to the French authorities this morning.

A statement from Belgian prosecutors

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Abdeslam was formally placed under arrest after arriving on French soil. His extradition came a day after CCTV footage emerged of his brother Brahim blowing himself up in the Comptoir Voltaire restaurant on the night of the suicide bomb and gun attacks. Salah Abdeslam reportedly told Belgian investigators he was supposed to detonate a suicide belt at the Stade de France, where the attacks - claimed by Islamic State - began. His Belgian lawyer Sven Mary gave a lengthy interview to the Liberation newspaper on Wednesday, describing the difficulty of representing such an infamous client. He described his client as a “little moron from Molenbeek, more a follower than a leader”.

There have been moments when I thought of giving up. If I had known about the Brussels attacks, maybe I would never have taken this case.

Abdeslam's Belgian lawyer Sven Mary

Abdeslam extradited