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Morocco arrests Belgian with "direct links" to Paris attackers

Xinhua, January 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Belgian man with "direct links" to Paris attackers had been arrested in the coastal city of Al-Muhammadiyah near Casablanca on Friday, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The man of Moroccan descent has not been named, with authorities only releasing his initials "GA" in Arabic.

The ongoing investigations revealed that the suspect had traveled from Belgium to Syria with one of the Saint-Denis suicide bombers to fight with Al-Nusra Front before joining the Islamic State (IS), the ministry said, adding that he had received military training on the use of different types of arms and guerrilla tactics before being sent to one of the conflict fronts, the ministry noted.

During his time in Syria, the arrested man formed close ties with IS leaders, including the mastermind of Paris attacks, who issued threats to carry out terrorist attacks in France and Belgium, the ministry added.

It also said that the suspect left Syria and returned to Belgium via Turkey and Germany, and he entered Morocco from the Netherlands.

The suspect will be referred to justice after completion of investigation, it said. Endit