Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam may have evaded Belgian police by hiding in a vehicle or item of furniture as they homed in on him after the massacre, Belgian media reported. Brussels-born Abdeslam is believed to have played a central role in the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds before driving back over the border from France to Belgium hours later.
On Sunday and Monday after the attacks, Belgian security forces staged several raids, including in Molenbeek, the Brussels district which is home to Abdeslam and has served as a haven for several jihadists in recent decades.
In one of those locations, a Belgian public broadcaster said on Wednesday that investigators “detected signs during the raid that he had been there,” without sourcing its report. “This leads to the conclusion that the suspect managed to flee before security forces intervened,” the report said. “The most likely theory is he was smuggled out by accomplices.”