March 22, 2016 is a dark day for Belgium. That day, our country was hit by three suicide attacks, claimed by ISIS. Among those responsible, Salah and Brahim Abdeslam. But how could they have slipped under the radar? For our French neighbors, the Belgian intelligence services have failed.
March 22, 2016 will remain a tragic day for Belgium. That day, 35 people lost their lives in three suicide attacks at Zaventem airport and in a metro train in Maelbeek. These attacks, the deadliest ever committed in Belgium, were linked to a network of French and Belgian jihadist terrorists, notably the Abdeslam brothers. Brahim Abdeslam participated in the Paris attacks of November 13, 2015, while his brother, Salah Abdeslam, played a key role in both events.
He had an active role
“He never went to Syria, but he had a very active role“, explains François Molins, former public prosecutor of Paris. “With the money he receives from the Islamic State, he buys cars which he uses to pick up individuals arriving in Belgium in order to form commandos“, he continues.
Salah Abdeslam has indeed taken the “Balkan route” on several occasions to exfiltrate and hide jihadists. “These trips were effective. Although they were subject to arrest warrants, these were not enough to prevent them from traveling“, adds François Molins.
A lack of efficiency of the Belgian intelligence services
Nothing seemed to predestine Salah Abdeslam to take this path, but he seems to have been influenced by his brother, Brahim. The latter was however questioned by the Brussels authorities in 2015, but this hearing proved ineffective. “I think some signals were not taken into account“, underlines a Belgian investigating judge. “The French intelligence services and the DGSI did everything possible, but there was a phenomenon of blindness due to a lack of efficiency on the part of the Belgian intelligence services regarding what was happening in their country.“, concludes François Molins.
The “Grand Format RTL info: Attack of November 13: Belgians in the secret service of the Islamic State” can be found this Friday evening on RTL tvi and in streaming on RTL play.
large format attack in Brussels SALAH ABDESLAM
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