Four of the main suspects in the Paris terror attacks were already on a list of radicalised people compiled by Belgium's intelligence services, officials said on Thursday. The overall list had 85 individuals, including alleged Paris mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud, brothers Brahim and Salah Abdeslam and newly named suspect Mohamed Abrini, reported AFP.
The list was drafted in January after a raid on an Islamist hideout in the city of Verviers in Belgium. Two suspects were killed and a major terror plot involving Abaaoud foiled. The latest revelations are bound to raise major concerns in Belgium with several major terror plots having roots in the country.
Belgium on Thursday also reduced the terrorism alert in Brussels from its highest possible level after the city was locked down for over a week. Prime Minister Charles Michel said the threat of a jihadist attack was no longer as imminent as before.
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