Suspected Suicide Belt Found In Paris Dustbin

Police hunting Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam have recovered a suspected suicide belt near where he is thought to have been on the night of the attacks.

The object found in a dustbin in the Paris suburb of Montrouge has "the same configuration" as suicide belts used by others involved in the attacks, according to a police source.

Abdeslam is suspected of playing at least a logistical role in the coordinated shooting and suicide bombings on 13 November and police say phone location data places him in Montrouge that evening.

It comes as the 26-year-old fugitive's brother Mohamed suggested Abdeslam may have decided not to go ahead with the attack at the last moment.

:: Terror Threat: US Issues Global Travel Alert

Another theory put forward by police is that Abdeslam, if he was involved in the attacks, may have had a technical problem with his belt.

There have been various reports of his whereabouts since the massacre, the most recent being in Germany where on Tuesday police received a tip-off he was in the area of Minden and Luebbecke, but officers said there was no sign of the fugitive.

Abdeslam's other brother, 31-year-old Brahim, died after his suicide belt exploded outside a café during the attacks, injuring 15 people.

The pair from Belgium had a heated argument the night before the massacres, according to friends living in Brussels.

One friend told television channel France 2 the disagreement appeared to be over money.

"I heard an argument, a massive argument," he said.

"I leaned against the window and I saw the two brothers. They were there. They were fighting each other."

In a statement released the day after the assaults, Islamic State spoke of simultaneous attacks in the 10th, 11th and 18th arrondissements by eight "brothers wearing explosive belts".

Seven suicide bombers died: two at the Bataclan concert venue, three at the Stade de France, one at a cafe on Boulevard Voltaire and one during a police raid at an apartment in Saint-Denis.

There was no attack on the 18th district.

Francois Molins, the Paris anti-terror prosecutor in charge of the investigation, said the vests used in the attacks were composed of acetone peroxide, a chemical explosive easy to produce by amateurs.

Police are continuing to focus their investigations on Brussels, which remains on maximum alert.

Following raids at the weekend, prosecutors charged a fourth person with terrorist offences linked to the attacks but released 15 others.

Citing "increased terrorist threats" the US State Department has issued a global travel alert following deadly the Paris attacks.

"Current information suggests that ISIL, al Qaeda, Boko Haram and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions," a spokesperson said.