Belgian prosecutors say they have handed over to France terror suspect Salah Abdeslam, who is alleged to be a key player in the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Wednesday that Abdeslam was delivered to French authorities earlier in the day, on a March 19 European arrest warrant.
Last Thursday, Belgian authorities charged Abdeslam with attempted murder linked to a shootout in the Brussels district of Forest last month. Police were investigating a suspected militant safe house when the gunfight broke out. Four police officers were injured and an Algerian suspect was killed. Investigators found Abdeslam's fingerprints at the scene and he was arrested three days later.
Abdeslam has told investigators that he arranged logistics for the Paris attacks and had planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium in the city on November 13, but change his mind at the last minute.
Without giving further details, Abdeslam's lawyer has confirmed that his client had admitted being in Paris during the attacks.