- Officers swooped in to make arrests near Brussels on six armoured trucks
- Same petrol garage was used by on the run Paris terrorist Salah Abdeslam
- Brussels locked down and terror threat raised to its highest level yesterday
- Officials are meeting to discuss security over fears of an 'imminent' attack
- See more of the latest news on the terrorists behind the Paris attacks
Published:
09:51 GMT, 22 November 2015
|
Updated:
13:44 GMT, 22 November 2015
Six
Pakistani born British men were arrested in Belgium yesterday after
being spotted in three 'old ambulances' at a petrol station used by Paris terrorist Salah Abdeslam, it was reported.
Armed
police in six armoured trucks swooped in to arrest the men at around
2pm yesterday. They screamed at them to get out of the vehicles parked
at an Esso garage said to be used by on the run Paris gunman and
Europe's most wanted man, Abdeslam,
The
Britons were arrested just 20 miles from Brussels which was locked down
for a second day today over fears of an 'imminent' Paris style attack.
Scroll down for video
Suspicious: Armed officers in six
armoured trucks moved into arrest the men who were spotted in three old
ambulances (two pictured) at a Belgian petrol station
Raid: Police screamed at the men, one
of whom is known to British police, to get out of the ambulances parked
at an Esso garage in Bierges
Evidence: Police found piles of
clothes, food and money inside the old ambulances, raising fears that
the men may have been heading to Syria
Police
officers, who inspected the contents of the three old ambulances
overnight, were under orders to take them alive, Matthew Drake of the Sunday People reported.
Officers
found clothes, food and money inside the ambulances which were parked
beside the E411 highway in Bierges, raising fears they may have been
heading to Syria, it was reported.
Fugitive: One of the petrol station's workers said Paris terror suspected Salah Abdeslam (pictured) was a regular
The
arrested men, one of whom is known to British police, did not speak
French but have cooperated with detectives, a Belgian police
commissioner said.
He
told the Sunday People: 'Shortly before 1400 hours (2pm), we found the
presence old ambulances, now transformed into vans, on the highway rest
area.'
One
of the petrol station's workers said Abdeslam, who is believed to have
taken part in the Paris massacres which killed 130, was a regular at the
garage and remembers him being 'quite nice, smiling'.
Abdeslam is said to be hiding out in the Belgian town of Molenbeek, which is considered the 'jihadi capital of Europe'.
Police
are investigating links to ISIS because using old ambulances is said to
be one of the terror group's methods to conceal jihadis.
The
Wavre police force, who responded to reports of the suspicious
ambulances said on its Facebook account yesterday: 'This afternoon, the
police of Wavre was called and intervened following the presence of
people and vehicles suspects on the motorway area of Bierges.
'These events are not related to the current terrorist context, contrary to the information given in some media.'
Belgian
security officials will meet today to decide whether the extend the
security measures which turned Brussels into a ghost town.
The
capital closed its metro system, shut shops and flooded the streets
with armed police yesterday as the hunt for Paris gunman, Belgian born
Abdeslam, was stepped up.
Brussels'
historic Grand Place, usually bustling with tourists, has been quiet
and empty over the weekend, save a few soldiers and the armoured vehicle
stood outside the town hall.
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