State security knew about Molenbeek cell four years ago

The state intelligence services were aware of the existence of a cell of Islamist extremists in Molenbeek as early as the beginning of 2012 and communicated their suspicions to the federal prosecutor’s office, according to a memo uncovered by Het Laatste Nieuws. The cell of about 30 people would later become involved in recruiting volunteers to go and fight in Syria, as well as the Paris attacks of last November.

The memo refers to tapped telephone conversations in which members of the group discuss the overthrow of Western democracy. They also discuss how to obtain weapons and explosives. Authorities did not prevent members later moving back and forward between Belgium and Iraq and Syria.

At the time the memo was received, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor said that the phenomenon of the Syria fighter was not as well-known as now. “The memo was one of the elements that led to the judicial investigation that resulted in the verdict of 29 July 2015 when sentences of up to 20 years were handed down for terrorism,” the spokesperson said, referring to how the information was used.

Among those sentenced in their absence were men later suspected of taking part in the attacks on the French capital, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, supposedly one of the masterminds, and Chakib Akrouh, who blew himself up days later when police raided an apartment in Paris.

The apartment in Molenbeek at the centre of the cell was the property of Gelel Attar, who was arrested earlier this month in Morocco on suspicion of being involved in the attacks.

Photo: Sander de Wilde/Demotix/Corbis