Brussels, Paris attacks suspect charged in France

By Hajer M’tiri

PARIS (AA) - Mohamed Abrini, a key suspect in the deadly 2016 Brussels terrorist attack, was charged with terrorist offences in France on Monday.

"In the framework of the investigation related to the attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015, Mohamed Abrini was surrendered to the French judicial authorities for a period of one day," French prosecutors said in a statement.

Abrini, a 30-year-old Belgian citizen, was filmed two days before the Paris attacks with Salah Abdeslam -- a Belgian-born French national and the main suspect in the attacks which struck the French capital.

At least 130 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the Paris killings.

On 22 March 2016, a suicide attack was carried out at Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station in Brussels, killing 32 people and wounding 270 others.

Daesh claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Abrini was in custody in Belgium and charged with murder over the Brussels attack.

He was pictured in CCTV footage walking alongside two bombers who later killed themselves in the Zaventem Airport attack, becoming known as “the man in the hat”.

Abrini confessed to being at the scene of crime adding that he threw his explosive vest in a bin and sold his hat after the blasts.