Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

Belgium police arrest 16, Paris fugitive still at large

Police set up a barricade during an operation in the center of Brussels on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. Western leaders stepped up the rhetoric against the Islamic State group on Sunday as residents of the Belgian capital awoke to largely empty streets and the city entered its second day under the highest threat level. With a menace of Paris-style attacks against Brussels and a missing suspect in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks in France last spotted crossing into Belgium, the city kept subways and underground trams closed for a second day. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Police set up a barricade during an operation in the center of Brussels on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. Western leaders stepped up the rhetoric against the Islamic State group on Sunday as residents of the Belgian capital awoke to largely empty streets and the city entered its second day under the highest threat level. With a menace of Paris-style attacks against Brussels and a missing suspect in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks in France last spotted crossing into Belgium, the city kept subways and underground trams closed for a second day. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

By Associated Press 3 min read

BRUSSELS (AP) – Belgian police carried out raids throughout the tense capital, detaining 16 people, prosecutors said early Monday. Paris fugitive Salah Abdeslam was not among those arrested, and security remained high with a terror alert for the third straight day.

Federal prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said 19 raids were carried out in Molenbeek, home to many of the Paris attackers, and other boroughs of Brussels and three raids were carried out in other cities.

“We have to stress that no firearms or explosives were discovered … during the raids,” Van Der Sypt said.

One of those detained was injured when a car he was in tried to ram police during an attempted getaway, Van Der Sypt said.

The raids capped a tense day with hundreds of troops patrolling and authorities hunting for one or more suspected extremists, the Belgian government chose Sunday to keep the capital on the highest state of alert into the start of the workweek to prevent a Paris-style attack.