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TERRORISM

Belgian terror suspect may be in Spain: report

Dutch police believe a young man thought to have links to a jihadist cell dismantled by Belgian security forces last week could have fled to Spain.

Belgian terror suspect may be in Spain: report
Policemen stand guard in Verviers, eastern Belgium, on January 15th, after two men were reportedly killed during an anti-terrorist operation. Photo: AFP

"Police today raided the home of the man's parents and confiscated laptops and mobile phones," the Dutch public prosecutor's office said in a statement on Tuesday after the raid in central city of Utrecht.

"He's being investigated for suspected involvement in terrorism," it added.

Belgian security services discovered the Dutch passport of the man after Thursday's raid in the eastern town of Verviers, during which two suspected militants were killed.

He is believed to have fled Belgium for Spain or France.

Spanish media have identified the suspect as Zaid Kouliss, who was reported missing by his parents last year.

A second suspect identified as Abdelmounaim Haddad is also believed to be in Spain and investigators fear the two may try to reach Syria.

The cell was allegedly plotting an imminent attack on Belgian police when it was broken up.

Meanwhile, a 33-year-old Algerian man with suspected links to the jihadist cell agreed on Tuesday to be extradited from Greece wanting to "prove his innocence".

The Islamist attacks which the police claim to have foiled have led to at least 13 arrests in Belgium and in several other European countries.

TERRORISM

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

Police in Milan said on Thursday they had arrested a 37-year-old Algerian man in the subway, later discovering he was wanted for alleged ties to Islamic State.

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

When stopped by police officers for a routine check, the man became “particularly aggressive”, said police in Milan, who added the arrest took place “in recent days”.

He was “repeatedly shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while attempting to grab from his backpack an object that turned out to be a knife with a blade more than 12cm (nearly five inches) long,” they said in a statement.

The man was later found to be wanted by authorities in Algeria, suspected since 2015 of belonging to “Islamic State militias and employed in the Syrian-Iraqi theatre of war,” police said.

Police said the suspect was unknown to Italian authorities.

The man is currently in Milan’s San Vittore prison and awaiting extradition, they added.

Jihadist group IS proclaimed a “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, launching a reign of terror that continues with hit-and-run attacks and ambushes.

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