Paris terror attack suspect Salah Abdeslam believed to be Syria

Salah Abdeslam, the only one of the suspected Paris attackers known to have survived, is believed to have fled to Syria.

CNN quoted Monday multiple sources at French intelligence authorities who said they think he`s escaped to Syria. Paris attacks were carried out by groups tied to Islamic State, which have already dominated some regions in Syria. If Abdeslam really fled to Syria, the European investigation agencies will increasingly face public criticism as being incompetent. After the attacks, police in France, Belgium and Germany have immediately put Abdeslam on the most wanted list and have taken actions to arrest him.

The Belgian intelligence authority believes Abdeslam fled to Syria but hasn`t obtained any traces of him there yet. Belgian federal prosecutor spokesman Eric Van der Sypt said if CNN has information (about Abdeslam`s flight) it has to prove it, adding they were working hard to track Abdeslam.

Investigation services in France and Belgium are still chasing after Abdeslam since no evidence of him in Syria has been found yet. A Belgian-born French nation, Abdeslam entered Belgium right after the Paris attacks but his whereabouts remain uncertain despite massive arrest efforts. The Belgian investigation authority obtained information that Abdeslam was conspiring additional terrorist attacks, and issued terror alerts, the highest grade, in Brussels from Nov. 21 to Nov. 26, but failed to arrest him.

pen@donga.com