A person suspected of involvement in the recent terror attack in Brussels has been arrested in Spain, local police confirmed on Friday.
Two Swedish citizens were killed and another was injured by Abdesalem Lassoued in the shooting on 16 October near Place Sainctelette. He was shot and killed by police the morning after in a café in Schaerbeek.
"National police officers arrested a person in Benahavís [in the province of Málaga] for his involvement in the jihadist attack of 16 October in Belgium," the Spanish police declared in a statement on Friday. He was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Belgian authorities for drug trafficking, arms trafficking, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation.
The police said that the suspect and Lassoued are both involved in "activities linked to organised crime." They did not specify to what extent the man was linked to the terrorist attack.
The man was hiding in Benahavís under a false identity. The police searched his home and seized documents, electronic equipment and a large sum of money. "Investigators are examining all these elements to determine exactly what links the two people," the police noted.
The investigation is being conducted by the Spanish National Prosecutor's Office, which is responsible for the most serious crimes. The suspect appeared on Friday before an examining magistrate, who decided to place him under arrest.
