France’s anti-terror unit announced Saturday that three individuals are in custody as part of an investigation into a suspected terror threat connected to Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving terrorist from the November 13, 2015 Paris attacks, AFP reported.
The announcement comes ahead of Thursday’s commemoration marking ten years since the coordinated jihadist assault on Paris and Saint-Denis, which left 130 dead and hundreds wounded.
Abdeslam, currently imprisoned in Vendin-le-Vieil in northern France, was briefly taken into custody Tuesday for questioning over the illicit possession of a USB memory stick, part of an investigation opened in January 2025. On Friday, he was detained again on suspicion of concealing illicit items, according to AFP.
France’s anti-terror prosecutor PNAT said Saturday the investigation had been “expanded” to include terrorist conspiracy aimed at preparing a crime against individuals.
Another individual was detained Tuesday, with custody extended beyond the standard 96 hours by an additional 24 hours. French law permits such extensions in cases of imminent terror threats or urgent international cooperation, though the measure is rarely used and requires judicial approval.
RTL radio reported that the second detainee is Abdeslam’s partner, identified by Le Parisien as Maeva B., 27, who had maintained a long-standing correspondence with him prior to being allowed visitation. PNAT confirmed she is being held for receiving illicit items and criminal terrorist conspiracy.
Two additional suspects were taken into custody Friday on similar charges, with their detention ongoing.
A prison union source told AFP that “USB stick connections were found” on Abdeslam’s computer, which he was allowed to use for educational purposes under strict limitations. The USB stick, reportedly used to transfer jihadist propaganda, “was searched for but not found,” the source said.
Abdeslam is subject to heightened monitoring, including frequent cell changes and systematic searches.
The November 13, 2015 attacks remain the deadliest assault on Paris since World War II. Jihadist gunmen and suicide bombers targeted the Bataclan concert hall, Stade de France stadium, and multiple cafés and restaurants in a coordinated massacre.
In September of 2021, Abdeslam acknowledged his role in the Paris attacks for the first time and said the killings were retaliation for French air strikes on ISIS and the deaths of 130 innocent people in the attacks were “nothing personal”. He later apologized to the victims at the end of his trial.
Abdeslam was designated by the United States as a "global terrorist", meaning that sanctions freezing any assets in US jurisdiction and forbidding Americans to do business with him will be imposed.