The investigation into the Paris terrorist attacks uncovered an organization with much larger attack plans than initially thought.

It is a network of many groups, with a large number of members, diverse goals... operating across a wide area in Europe.

The pain of the terrorist attacks in Paris is still present in the heart of France. (Photo: News18)

During an investigation in late March 2016, after the attacks in Brussels, a computer was found in a trash bin next to one of the Djihadist hideouts on Max-Roos Street, in Schaerbeek, one of the districts of Brussels, the Belgian capital.

The computer also stored documents with many contents: wills, lists of targets (La Défence commercial area, Civitas area...), research on explosives... and even the structure of a network. The plan for the terrorist attack on the night of November 13 and future attacks...

Diverse groups

The dossier, codenamed "13/11", consists of several parts. The first part is called "Omar group", the second part is called "French group", the third part is called "Iraqi group", the fourth part is called "Schiphol group", and the fifth part is called "Metro group".

The names of each group are linked to the men who carried out the attacks: "Omar" is the alias of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the leader of the terrorist group that attacked cafes in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. The group that carried out the massacre at the Bataclan was composed of French kamikazes (Foued Mohamed-Aggad, Samy Amimour and Ismaël Omar Mostefaï). The two bombers at the Stade de France were Iraqi nationals.

Investigators do not know much about the last two groups. Did the "Metro" group initially plan to attack the Paris subways, but then switch to the Brussels subways on the morning of March 22? And was the "Schiphol" group involved in the plot to attack the Amsterdam airport of the same name? Investigations show that the "Schiphol" group planned to act from November 13.

Belgian police stepped up security after a series of bombings in Brussels. Photo: AP

Two suspects linked to the project were arrested by chance during the hunt for the perpetrators of the Paris and Brussels attacks.

The first name is Sofien A., 23 years old, of Tunisian origin, was interrogated on March 18, right at Salah Abdeslam's hideout, Quatre-Vents street, Molenbeek area.

The second name is Ossama K., 23 years old, of Syrian origin, Swedish nationality, arrested on April 8 in Anderlecht, along with Mohamed Abrini, "the man in the hat" in the Brussels airport bombing.

Little is known about Sofien A., except that he intended to become a martyr. Sofien A. traveled to Syria, where he was torn between learning to make explosives or becoming a fighter for IS. He may have been involved in terrorist plots in Tunisia.

As for Ossama K., people only know that he left Sweden for Syria in early 2015.

Another group of commandos

The French anti-terrorism subcommittee (SDAT) was able to confirm that Sofien A. and Ossama K. boarded the Eurolines bus from Brussels North Station to Amsterdam on 13 November 2015. They were using fake identity cards. When questioned, Ossama K. said he had booked a hotel room in Amsterdam for one night and planned to return the same day. Why didn’t they act? Did they need more force? There are no answers to these questions.

Salah Abdeslam has been extradited from Belgium to France. (Photo: AP)

Investigations have now extended to Hungary, where analysis of Salah Abdeslam’s phone and money transfers suggests he was in contact with a person or group of couriers in the country for several months, from at least late August to early November 2015.

The investigation also uncovered another group of commandos who also followed the Balkan route but did not arrive in time to participate in the events of November 13. That group, known as the “Autrichien” (Austrians), was interrogated in December 2015 in Salzbourg, in a refugee center.

The group of four was arrested in Austria. Two of them confessed to carrying out the attack in Paris on November 13, 2015. They were on the same train as the Iraqi kamakaze who bombed the Stade de France, but were stranded in Greece for 25 days after their false documents were discovered.

Related elements

Other elements, still at large, are also suspected of having links with members of the Franco-Belgian organization, although they have not directly participated in the terrorist plots. The fact that these suspected accomplices are still at large makes investigators even more worried when, after the events of November 13, the surviving members of this organization showed their determination to complete the mission with the attacks on the morning of March 22, 2016.

To prepare for the attacks, the organization had a solid logistical base. Nearly 12 bases were discovered over time, most of them located around Brussels (Auvelais, Charleroi, Schaerbeek, Jette, Forest, Laeken, Etterbeek, Anderlecht…). A very organized secret life, where each member took on a role: renting apartments under false names, going to the market, working as a driver to transport equipment from one place to another…

Salah Abdeslam’s group has since been partially rehabilitated. According to the testimony of one of the interrogators, Salah Abdeslam arrived on the night of 14 November, shortly after the Paris attacks, in an apartment in Schaerbeek, rue Henri-Bergé, which used to make explosive belts. He was then moved for a month (in December 2015) to a ninth-floor apartment in the Jette apartment complex, in the Brussels suburbs. There he met his accomplices Mohamed Abrini and Ossama K.

In early January 2016, the three men moved to Dries Street in Forest. Here, on March 15, during a raid, an investigation team confronted and exchanged fire with the commandos. Salah Abdeslam was arrested on March 18, three days later. Perhaps the above incidents prompted this organization to rush to carry out attacks in Brussels on the morning of March 22, 2016./.

According to VOV