Source: BBC

Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam’s lawyer says he plans to take legal action against a French prosecutor for breach of confidentiality.

The Paris prosecutor told reporters that Abdeslam had admitted he wanted to blow himself up during the attacks on 13 November but then changed his mind.

The bombings and shootings, claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS), left 130 people dead and dozens injured.

Abdeslam was arrested in Belgium last week after four months on the run.

The Belgian authorities have charged him with terrorism offences. He has decided to fight extradition to France, which could take up to three months.

Abdeslam’s Belgian lawyer, Sven Mary, says his client is co-operating with the authorities.

At a news conference in the French capital on Saturday, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins, referring to Abdeslam’s statement to Belgian police, said: “He wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and, I quote, backed out.”

He added that people should treat with caution initial statements by the 26-year-old French national.

Mr Mary said he would take legal action against Mr Molins for breaching the confidentiality of the investigation.

He told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF that Mr Molins’ comments at a news conference were “a violation… I cannot let it go unchallenged”.

Meanwhile, France is sending more troops to its borders after the arrest of Abdeslam.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said they would join more than 5,000 police mobilised since the attacks.

Image copyrightReuters

Interpol has urged increased border security saying suspects may seek to flee after the arrest on Friday.

Abdeslam is believed to have fled shortly after the November attacks, returning to the Molenbeek district of Brussels

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