European police forces on Friday launched a “most wanted” website of 45 notorious criminal suspects, including Belgian-born Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the Paris attacks.
“The website will share information on high-profile internationally-wanted criminals, convicted of — or suspected of having committed - serious crimes or terrorist acts in Europe,” Europol said. “This is the first initiative on a pan-European level to jointly present a most wanted list on a common platform," the European police agency added in a statement.
People are encouraged to provide tip-offs — anonymously if they want — at www.Eumostwanted.com. The site's launch comes after sharp criticism of the coordination between European authorities in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Despite some of the assailants being sought by police they managed to cross into France unnoticed. Abdeslam fled back across the border to Belgium hours after the mass killings, that too after passing through a police checkpoint.
Europol said the website aimed “at increasing security" across the EU by having the public “help police trace Europe's most wanted fugitives”. Each of the 28 EU members will select a number of key fugitives for the list, which will be regularly updated, the agency added. A picture of each of the suspects has been prominently displayed, along with a description of the allegations against them and a phone number of the police force hunting for them.