Paris attacks suspect’s DNA ‘not found on suicide belt’

No DNA from fugitive Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in November’s Paris attacks, has been found on a suicide belt discovered in the French capital, a source close to the inquiry said Friday.

The explosive belt was found in a dustbin in the southern Parisian suburb of Montrouge on November 23, ten days after the jihadist bomb and gun attacks that left 130 people dead and hundreds more injured.

Telephone data placed Abdeslam in the same area just after the attacks — but the lack of DNA on the belt, initially reported by France’s BFMTV channel, suggests that the Belgian-born 26-year-old did not wear it.

The source cautioned however that it was still possible the vest was Abdeslam’s, adding: “There are no conclusions to be drawn from this.”

Abdeslam, who is believed to have played a key logistical role in the attacks, fled across the border to Belgium hours after the killings and is now one of the most wanted men in Europe.

Another source close to the inquiry said the DNA of an unidentified person was found on the belt along with that of Abdeslam’s brother Brahim, who blew himself up at a restaurant during the attacks.

The unidentified DNA was also found at a house used as a hideout by the attackers in Auvelais, southern Belgium, the source said.