BRUSSELS, Nov. 23 (UPI) ─ Police in Belgium arrested 16 people in the manhunt for suspected Islamic State militant Salah Abdeslam as Brussels remains on the highest alert level.
Belgian authorities carried out about 22 raids throughout Sunday in Brussels and the nearby city of Charleroi. Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw did not identify any of the 16 people in custody and said no firearms or explosives were found.
Abdeslam, 26, is being sought in a high-profile manhunt. He is a French citizen living in Brussels who police describe as armed and dangerous. Several of Abdeslam’s friends in Brussels said he possibly may be traveling to Syria.
Belgium raised the terror alert on Saturday in Brussels to the highest level due to a “serious and imminent threat.” Prime Minister Charles Michel said the Belgian capital is under threat of attacks similar to those inflicted upon Paris.
The Charles de Gaulle French military aircraft carrier will begin operations in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday against IS targets in Syria.
