Salah Abdeslam: New photo of possible disguise issued as Paris attacks fugitive remains at large

The suspect could now be using the alias 'Yassine Baghli', according to a bulletin from French police

Lizzie Dearden
Friday 20 November 2015 17:04 GMT
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Salah Abdeslam, left, and pictured right in the disguise he was thought to be wearing following the Paris attacks, is Europe's most wanted man
Salah Abdeslam, left, and pictured right in the disguise he was thought to be wearing following the Paris attacks, is Europe's most wanted man

Police have reportedly issued a photo of what fugitive Salah Abdeslam may look like in disguise as the Paris attacks suspects continues to evade authorities.

The 26-year-old has become the most wanted man in Europe following the death of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged “mastermind” of the atrocity.

He was seen driving a car that dropped his brother and another attacker off to massacre dozens of people at restaurants and bars in the French capital on Friday, and may have been among the gunmen himself.

What is it like to live in the most vilified jihadist hotbed in Europe?

But unlike the other attackers, Abdeslam did not detonate his suicide vest and survived, being driven by two friends – now charged with terror offences - to Belgium and disappearing.

Spanish media report that a new image has been released, showing what he may look like wearing a wig and glasses. He may also be going under the alias of Yassine Baghli, according to El Mundo.

The newspaper reported that a police bulletin on Wednesday said Abdeslam could be fleeing through Europe in a Citroen Xsara, registration AE-113-SY.

Salah Abdeslam

Previous notices warned people not to approach the extremist, described as “dangerous”, and contact police immediately if he is seen.

A French police source told The Independent that Abdeslam may be hiding from Isis as well as intelligence agencies after failing to complete his “martyrdom” mission.

“It is possible he panicked or chickened out of killing himself,” he said.

“It is possible that he was disgusted by what he had been involved in or that his explosive suicide belt failed to detonate.”

A Belgian website reported that he approached a friend in Brussels on 17 November to say he regretted his part in the attacks, which had “gone too far”, and feared Isis taking retribution on his family if he gave himself up.

Another friend of Abdeslam's in Molenbeek, the Brussels suburb where he lived, told Ouest-France how before his radicalisation he was known for having a long line of girlfriends, including an English woman, and a party lifestyle.

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