During a joint press conference between Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Holland, the leaders confirmed that Abdeslam had been captured during a police operation in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, along with four other suspects. The operation was launched after Belgian authorities discovered Abdeslam's fingerprints in a Brussels apartment. Abdeslam and another suspect were reportedly injured during the raid.
Previous reports indicated that only three suspects were apprehended.
"We have detained Salah Abdeslam. Three suspects have been arrested, including Salah Abdeslam," Michel said.
According to Belgian RTFB news, the raid has officially ended, and Hollande says he expects the suspect's extradition "as rapidly as possible."
France's security council plans to hold a meeting on Saturday morning. Hollande confirmed ties between the Paris attackers and Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State and stressed that the current threat level is very high. Hollande also said there were more suspects involved in the Paris attacks than authorities originally realized.
The arrest brings a four month manhunt to a close, after attackers left 130 people dead in coordinated attacks across the French capital last November. Still, Hollande stressed that those responsible for the attack are not limited to those who have been arrested or identified.
"We must catch all those who allowed, organised or facilitated these attacks and we realize that they are a lot more numerous than we thought earlier and had identified," Hollande said.
