Belgium seeks terror suspect extradition

Belgium asks Greece to extradite one of the suspects arrested in Greece over a possible link with a foiled plot against Belgian police.

Armed Belgian police officers guard a building in Brussels

Belgium will request the extradition of a suspect arrested in Greece connected to a jihadist cell. (AAP)

Belgium will request the extradition of a suspect arrested in Greece who could be connected to a jihadist cell smashed by Belgian security forces, prosecutors say.

"Out of two suspects arrested, there is one who could be linked" to the group, the prosecutors' spokesman Thierry Werts told RTL television. "There are sufficient elements to seek his extradition," he said.

He declined to comment on the identity of the suspect or his alleged role in the cell, which according to Belgian police was planning to kill police officers.

A Greek police source said the suspect was a 31-year-old Algerian who served jail time in Greece on a robbery conviction but was released nearly a year ago.

On Saturday, Belgian media said authorities were seeking Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Brussels-based man of Moroccan origin who had left for Syria to join the Islamic State militant group.

Abaaoud was not one of the two men arrested on Saturday, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens told broadcaster VRT.

The second suspect was released from custody without charge on Sunday, a Greek police source said.

Belgium has been on high alert after series of raids on Thursday, acting on information that a terrorist cell was about to carry out an attack against police. Two suspects died in one of the raids, in the eastern city of Verviers.

The foiled attacks in Belgium have prompted arrests in several European countries. Belgium has so far charged five people with "participating in the activities of a terrorist group" and has requested the extradition of two suspects arrested in France.

Belgium estimates that 335 of its people have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq in the last few years - making it the European country with the highest proportion of nationals enlisted with Middle Eastern jihadist groups.

Of the 335 who have gone to fight - out of a population of 11 million - 184 are still there and 50 have been killed, while 101 have returned to Belgium, authorities have said.


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Source: AAP



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