One of the Main Suspects of the Paris Attacks Arrested in Belgium

French police officials announced on Friday, April 20, that one of the main suspects in the Paris attacks last autumn has been arrested in Belgium. Belgian authorities have stated that he is also linked to the deadly bombing in Brussels on March 22. According to the Associated Press, the suspect's name is 'Mohammed Abrini,' and it is suspected that he is the 'man in the hat' who was previously captured on CCTV at Brussels Airport shortly after the bombing occurred there. If this suspicion is confirmed, it would indicate that he played a key role in both attacks for which the Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility. In the Paris attacks, 130 people were killed, and in the Brussels bombings, 32 people lost their lives. The arrest of at least two individuals on Friday follows the release of images and videos of the main suspect in the airport bombing by Belgian authorities the previous day. The Belgian prosecutor's office has confirmed the arrest of 'several individuals' but has withheld further details. Abrini was the last identified suspect in the November 13 Paris attacks, which prompted a large-scale operation for his capture, although his role in those attacks was not clear. He is 31 years old and holds Moroccan-Belgian citizenship, reportedly having traveled to Syria in early summer last year. His younger brother was killed in 2014 while fighting with the French ISIS group. Abrini was connected to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind of the Paris attacks, who was killed during a police operation on November 18, and he was a childhood friend of the brothers Salah and Ibrahim Abdeslam. An EU security official told the Associated Press that he traveled several times to Birmingham in the UK last year and met with several individuals suspected of terrorist activities. This unnamed security official stated that these meetings included one in late summer at various locations, including cafes and apartments. Abrini was present in a convoy heading to the French capital just 36 hours before the attacks alongside Salah Abdeslam, who is currently imprisoned in Belgium for the Paris attacks. In related news, Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris terrorist attacks, was arrested. Following Abdeslam's arrest, Interpol called for increased border security. The El Bakraoui brothers were identified as the perpetrators of the Brussels suicide bombings. The French Interior Minister stated that a terrorist attack was thwarted in its final stages. DNA from the Brussels bomber had previously been found in the Paris attacks. Several suspects were arrested in Belgian police anti-terror operations. A 'bomb and weapon depot' was found in the home of a French Islamist arrested near Paris.