Turkey Arrests 3 With Suspected Links to Paris Attackers

Turkey arrested three individuals Saturday, one believed to have been in contact with the Paris assailants, as authorities continue their search for those linked to last week's terror attack in the French capital that killed at least 130 people.

A senior Turkish officials said 26-year-old Ahmad Dahmani was detained in a luxury hotel in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya along with two other suspected Islamic State militants on suspicion of "aiding and abetting" the Islamic State group.

The official says in an emailed message: "We believe that Dahmani was in contact with the terrorists who perpetrated the Paris attacks. The investigation continues."

The Belgian national of Moroccan origin reportedly scouted some of the Paris attack sites, NBC News reported.

Dahmani had arrived in Turkey from Amsterdam on Nov. 14, the official said. The other two suspects were Syrian and are accused of coming to Turkey to escort Dahmani back to ISIS areas inside Syria, a security source told NBC News.

The official cannot be named because of Turkish government rules that bar officials from speaking to reporters without prior authorization.

The three men remained in custody following a court appearance.

Authorities across Europe, the Mideast and in Washington are trying to determine how a network of primarily French and Belgian attackers with links to Islamic extremists in Syria plotted and carried out the deadliest violence in France in decades — and how many may still be on the run.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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