Man shot by police Brussels charged after raid in France News
Man shot by police Brussels charged after raid in France

[JURIST] A man shot by police in Brussels on Friday was charged on Saturday with membership of a terror group after being connected to a raid in France that thwarted a possible terrorist attack. The man, A. Abderrahmane, was shot and arrested [Newstalk report] at a tram stop in the district of Schaerbeek in Brussels, and was then detained for 24 hours until being charged Saturday. The Belgian press agency Belga [official website] stated that the potential attack that was foiled by the raid was connected to the bombings in Brussels [Independent report] last week that killed 31 people.

The Islamic State (IS) [JURIST backgrounder], which has claimed responsibility for the attacks, has been accused of war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria. IS also claimed responsibility for the November attacks in Paris [JURIST report]. Authorities have reported [USA Today report] that that evidence gathered in three countries shows a “close working relationship” between terrorists who struck in Brussels on Tuesday and in Paris in November. Authorities have detained at least 11 people in operations in Belgium, France and Germany and have confirmed that one of the suicide bombers at Brussels Airport was the bomb maker related to the two suicide vests used in the Paris attacks. According to US counterterrorism officials, the ongoing police operations suggest [CNN report] that authorities are working towards preventing the next attack; investigators know of additional plots [CNN report] in Europe in various stages of planning.