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AP Exclusive: Dead Brussels gunman sought IS suicide mission

Police officers secure a street during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Friday March 18, 2016. After an intense four-month manhunt across Europe and beyond, police on Friday captured Salah Abdeslam, the top fugitive in the Paris attacks in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) Police officers secure a street during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Friday March 18, 2016. After an intense four-month manhunt across Europe and beyond, police on Friday captured Salah Abdeslam, the top fugitive in the Paris attacks in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

By Associated Press March 19, 2016 1 min read

PARIS (AP) – The Algerian gunman newly linked to the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris after being killed by police joined the Islamic State group in 2014 and said he wanted to die as a suicide bomber, bypassing the choice to be a fighter.

Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid was shot to death Tuesday in a raid that led to fugitive Salah Abdeslam.

In exclusive documents given to The Associated Press by the Syrian opposition news site Zama al-Wsl, Belkaid said he had traveled throughout Europe and had no experience as a jihadi as he crossed into Syria on April 19, 2014. On Friday, officials said Balkaid was “most probably” an Abdeslam accomplice whose fake Belgian ID was used to pay for the hideout of the Paris attack ringleader.