Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Paris attacks: Syringes, pizza boxes and smartphones found at hotel rooms and flat used by bombers

Salah Abdeslam reportedly hired two hotel rooms in Alfortville, while a rented flat in Bobigny was in his brother's name

Lizzie Dearden
Tuesday 17 November 2015 12:39 GMT
Comments
Police believe attackers stayed in the rooms while preparing for the atrocity
Police believe attackers stayed in the rooms while preparing for the atrocity

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Hotel rooms and a possible “safe house” used by the gunmen who killed 129 people in the Paris attacks have been uncovered by police.

Salah Abdeslam, who is the subject of a Europe-wide manhunt, used his credit card to rent two rooms at a hotel in Alfortville, a south-eastern suburb of Paris.

At least two attackers or accomplices are said to have arrived at the hotel, which does not have CCTV, two days before the attack in a suite able to fit around six people.

Vidoe: police raid Paris bomber's home

Le Point newspaper gained access to rooms 311 and 312, where reporters found a set of syringes and tubes scattered on a coffee table, near takeaway pizza boxes and overturned mattresses.

The needles could support speculation that some of the attackers were drugged following survivors’ accounts of their “zombie-like” behaviour, although police have not announced the results of forensic analysis.

News of the hotel rooms came after the discovery of another apartment used by at least one of Friday’s suicide bombers.

Le Figaro reported that GPS data from a Seat Leon used by the attackers traced Brahim Abdeslam to a rented apartment in Bobigny, a north-eastern suburb of Paris.

Investigators found laptops and smartphones in the property, used in the days before the attack, leading to speculation it was used by a “safe-house”.

Abdeslam reportedly rented it from 10 to today, 17 November.

The owner of the flat told Libération he met three men who said they worked for a Belgian security firm.

Police were continuing the hunt for his brother today as he remains on the run.

He is suspected of involvement in the attacks but has not been seen since being stopped near the Belgian border in the early hours of Saturday morning, when police let him go.

Two Belgian men have reportedly admitted picking him up from Paris after receiving a call at around 2am but say they had no knowledge of Salah’s role in the massacres.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in