Belgian law enforcement officers found an ISIS flag next to an Algerian man killed during a raid in connection with the deadly November terror attacks in Paris, according to investigators.
A spokesman for Belgium’s federal prosecutor said at a Wednesday press conference that a Kalashnikov rifle and a book on Salafism, an extreme form of Islam, were found next to the body, Agence France-Presse reported. Authorities also discovered 11 magazines of ammunition compatible with Kalashnikov rifles.
The Algerian national has been identified as Mohamed Belkaid, who was living illegally in Belgium. Other than a minor theft case in 2014, Belkaid had no criminal record and was not on the radar of Belgian law enforcement.
Belkaid was killed by police when he shot at officers from a window during the Tuesday raid. When Belgian and French police entered the apartment in the Forest district of southern Brussels, at least two armed attackers fired at them. Four officers were wounded in the exchange of fire, which lasted hours.
Two unidentified suspects escaped police and remain at large. Police found another Kalashnikov along with black clothing at a nearby residence.
Belgium has been a focal point in the investigation into the coordinated suicide bombings in Paris last year, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility. The attacks killed 130 people and forced France to close its borders and declare a state of emergency.
Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the attacks who is still on the run, is a French citizen who was born in Belgium. He is believed to have fled to Brussels following the attacks. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the supposed organizer of the attacks who was killed in a Paris raid in November, was from Brussels.