Belgium charges man for ‘terrorist attack’ involvement

Authorities in Belgium have charged a man with involvement in “terrorist attacks” as investigations continue into the killings in Paris two weeks ago.

The federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Friday that the unidentified man was “charged with terrorist attacks and taking part in the activities of a terrorist group”.

The man was arrested in Brussels on Thursday.

The prosecutor’s office declined to provide more details about the arrest.

The statement also said that a Brussels court had confirmed that two other people – one identified as Ali O, and an unnamed man arrested on Tuesday – will be kept in custody for another month.

Ali O’s lawyer said on Friday that his client had driven key Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam across the Belgian capital the day after the killings, without knowing he had been involved.

“No one knew that Salah was wanted; he [Ali O] did not know,” Olivier Martins said after his client appeared in a Brussels court.

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Separately, two people detained for questioning after searches in the eastern town of Verviers on Thursday were released on Friday, the prosecutor also said.

The first two people to be charged in Belgium over the Paris attacks, which left 130 people dead, were Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 20, who were accused on November 16 on suspicion of helping Abdeslam.