Suicide bomber's belt containing 'Mother of Satan' explosives is found dumped in a dustbin with a mobile phone in Paris suburb - so did Europe's most wanted man abandon his deadly mission?
- An explosive belt missing a detonator has been found in a suburb of Paris
- It was found in an area of the city where fugitive Salah Abdeslam escaped
- The find could give credence to the theory he abandoned his mission
- Abdeslam, 26, is Europe's most wanted man after he fled the Paris killings
- Last night Belgian anti-terror authorities arrested 16 people in Brussels
- Today a fourth person was charged with terror offences relating to Paris
- See more of the latest news updates on the Paris suicide bombers
Salah Abdeslam, 26, is believed to have fled the bloodbath that left 130 dead, rather than blowing himself up
A suicide bomber's explosive belt was tonight found dumped in the southern Paris suburb from where terrorist fugitive Salah Abdeslam escaped the city.
The 26-year-old fled the bloodbath that left 130 dead on November 13 rather than blowing himself up.
Tonight's find in a dustbin in Montrouge, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, is hugely significant because it supports the theory that Abdeslam abandoned his mission.
Police said the belt contained bolts and the same explosive chemicals as those used on the attacks on the French capital.
It comes as one of 16 people arrested in Brussels last night was charged with terror offences relating to the Paris attacks. The rest were released without charge.
A French police source said: 'The belt was found in a dustbin, and is said to be very similar to those worn by the Paris terrorists. Its detonator had been removed.
'The area around the dustbin has been sealed off, and bomb disposal experts are in the area.
'Judicial police are at the scene, together with forensics experts and anti-terrorist officers.'
The explosive belt was found to contain TATP, or triacetone triperoxide.
Jihadis call it 'Mother of Satan', because of the ease with which it is detonated. It is highly sensitive to heat, shock and friction.
The explosive belt is thought to have been dumped in a bin next to an empty house once used as a squat in Montrouge.
A neighbour is said to have checked the bin this afternoon, before phoning the local council who launched an emergency evacuation, said the source.
Police said the explosive belt was found in the place where Abdeslam's mobile phone was operating on the day of the Paris attacks.
According to NBC News, a spokesperson for the prosecutors' office confirmed a cell phone had also been found near the belt.
Investigators believe the jihadist gang that carried out eight coordinated attacks planned to strike another target but Abdeslam changed plans at the last minute.
In its statement claiming responsibility for the attacks, ISIS referred to an attack in the 18th arrondissement, where the popular tourist spot of Montmartre is located. An attack there on a warm November night would have been devastating.
A group of police officers stand guard in the street where the explosive vest was found tonight
It was found on a street (pictured) in Montrouge, south Paris, the exact area where fugitive Salah Abdeslam's cellphone was geolocated to in the wake of the attacks
Abdeslam's brother, Brahim Abdeslam, blew himself up in a cafe near the Place de la Nation, but he chose to escape.
Abdeslam is thought to have driven the three Stade de France bombers to the stadium before moving on to the 18th arrondissement.
A Renault Clio found the following day at Porte de Clignancourt, which just over a mile directly north of Montmartre. Mobile phone records also indicate that Abdeslam was in the 18th arrondissement on the night of the attacks.
These records also suggest Abdeslam then went to Montrouge, where he was collected by two friends and driven to Belgium. This fits in with the theory that he dumped his suicide belt before getting into the car.
Abdeslam, a French national, infamously hired the vehicles and hotel rooms used in the attacks.
The next day he and two accomplices were stopped by a traffic patrol close to the Belgium border but then let go.
A police officer stands guard on a street in Montrouge, south Paris, where the explosives belt was found
French police tonight cordoned off the area where the belt was found in a public dustbin by a local resident
A resident discovered the bomb belt - which was missing its detonator - in a dustbin late this afternoon
Now it has emerged that a man who 'looked just like Salah Abdeslam' was spotted at 7.30pm on Sunday in a BMW 3 or 5 series as it drove through Rocourt, a district of the city of Liege.
A source close to the investigation into the Paris attacks said: 'They were unable to intercept him, and he was last seen heading along the E40 road in the direction of Germany.'
Abdelslam also evaded a series of late-night police raids around Brussels last night, as the capital city headed into a third day of lockdown.
Officials said they arrested at least 21 suspects in 22 counter-terrorism raids late on Sunday and today. One - who is as yet unidentified - has since been charged with a variety of offences linked with supporting terrorism.
No weapons or explosives were found, and the failure to capture Abdeslam will further undermine the reputation of Belgium's security agencies.
In one incident, police marksmen shot at a car that was later found in Brussels, but it was not linked to the case.
A soldier armed with an assault rifle patrols the streets of Brussels as the country remains on high alert
Police stand guard at the scene of one of 19 raids across the capital last night, which led to 19 arrests
One person was charged with terror offences while the other 15 netted in the raid have been released
Despite the massive police operation in Brussels last night, Europe's most wanted man Salah Abdeslam remains on the loose
The operation came hours after the Belgium's Prime Minister Charlies Michel announced reinforced security measures and a third day of lockdown in Brussels.
All schools have been shut and the city's metro suspended, as much of the historic centre of Brussels was cordoned off.
Police evacuated restaurants in the centre, blocked off roads and called on residents to stay away from windows.
Other raids took place in Molenbeek, the run-down borough of Brussels where Abdeslam lived.
On Saturday the government raised the threat level in and around Brussels to four - the highest level - and deployed hundreds of extra troops around the city.
Today Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the alert level for Brussels would remain at four while in the rest of the country it would stay at three.
He said: 'We are still confronted with the threat we were facing yesterday,' adding potential targets remained shopping malls, shopping streets and public transport.
'We want progressively to return to normality. Schools in Brussels will open on Wednesday and the metro on Wednesday as well. For the metro it could be in a progressive way.'
A soldier and a police officer patrol Brussels Grand Place tonight as the city remains in lockdown
Schools, the Metro and many businesses have been shut since it was discovered Abdeslam passed through the city
Ghosttown: A group of police officers patrol the largely deserted streets of central Brussels tonight
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