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Dutch arrest two in 2015 Paris attacks weapons link

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AFP The Hague
Last Updated : Mar 15 2019 | 10:45 PM IST

Dutch police have arrested two men in Amsterdam with suspected links to weapons used in deadly attacks in Paris in 2015 that killed 130 people, prosecutors said Friday.

"Police arrested two men on Tuesday in Amsterdam in an investigation into the origin of weapons used by Islamic State terrorists in the attacks in Paris in 2015," a statement said.

The two men, aged 29 and 31, "are suspected of in some way being involved in the delivery of weapons" to carry out France's worst terror attacks on November 13 that year.

Armed jihadists gunned down at the Bataclan concert hall and at several bars and restaurants around the French capital and at the Stade de France stadium.

They used automatic weapons including AK-47 assault rifles and explosives in the attacks.

"Some members of a jihadist suicide cell were possibly in the Netherlands in 2015 to collect the weapons," the Dutch public prosecution service said.

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The Islamic State group, based in Syria and Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were allegedly coordinated from Brussels.

The Dutch authorities, working together with their French and Belgian counterparts tracked down the two men. In all, police are looking for some 15 suspects in the case.

Police raided the suspect's homes, confiscating computers, documents, data carriers and mobile phones.

The 29-year-old suspect briefly appeared before a judge on Friday in connection with the case and was remanded in custody for two weeks under maximum security conditions.

Prosecutors however said "the second suspect's health does not allow him to be detained." "Because there was no other option, the man had to be released while the result of the investigation is awaited.

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First Published: Mar 15 2019 | 10:45 PM IST

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