Salah Abdeslam, the main fugitive from Islamic extremist attacks in Paris in November, was arrested in Belgium's capital Friday ending a manhunt that stretched on for four months, officials confirmed.
He was shot in the leg and arrested in a major police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, deputy mayor Ahmed El Khannouss said. Two other suspects were also in custody, French president Francois Hollande added.
The raid and investigation show more people were involved in the Paris attacks than anti-terror officials initially thought, Hollande said. The Nov. 13 gun and bomb attacks killed 130 people at a theatre, the national stadium and cafes.
Hollande says France will seek Abdeslam's extradition and that he believes Belgium will respond as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Theo Francken, Belgium's secretary of state for asylum and migration, tweeted, "We hebben hem," which translates into English as, "We got him." Francken later removed the tweet after reports that other Belgium officials were unhappy that he broke the news.
The arrest marks a dramatic turn in the investigation that has vexed European officials for months.
Most of the Paris attackers died the night of the massacre, including Abdeslam's brother Brahim, who blew himself up. The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which Belgian nationals played key roles.
As Friday's events unfolded, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel rushed out of a European Union summit, and was expected to be joined at Belgian government offices by Interior Minister Jan Jambon, RTBF said.
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