Hamza Attou and Mohammed Amri, two suspects arrested in the investigation into the Paris attacks, appeared before the Council Chamber in Brussels on Thursday morning. The two men admit to driving Salah Abdeslam back from Paris on the night of November 13th, but insist they had nothing to do with the actual attacks. Their attorneys made no comments when they left the Council Chamber. The Chamber’s ruling will be communicated in the afternoon.
According to their attorneys, the two suspects received a phone call from Salah Abdeslam in the middle of the night on November 13th, saying he was in Paris and could they come and pick him up as his car had broken down. The two men drove to Paris and brought Abdeslam back to Brussels. On the way back they went through three police checks but were not intercepted.
Once in Brussels, Amri left the vehicle whilst Attou phoned Ali Oulkadi, a third suspect, to organise to meet him at the Bockstael metro station. Oulkadi picked up Attou and Abdeslam and took them to a cafe, where Salah Abdeslam admitted he was involved in the Paris attacks and had blown himself up. After this conversation Oulkadi drove Salah Abdeslam to Schaerbeek.
Attou and Amri were arrested that very same Saturday. The two men were brought before an investigating magistrate and charged with involvement with a terrorist group and the murder of 129 people in a terrorist act.
(Source: Belga)
