PARIS: France's justice minister says the extradition of Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has been suspended but is not called into question.
Jean-Jacques Urvoas said Friday in a statement the delay is due to "the requirements of the investigation in Belgium" about another case — a deadly police raid in the Forest neighborhood of Brussels days before Abdeslam's arrest.
The French judges still have the possibility of requesting Abdeslam's "temporary transfer" to France so that he can be questioned and charged, the statement specified.
Abdeslam fled to Belgium after the Nov. 13 attacks on Paris and was arrested March 18. Since then he has been in a prison in the Belgian city of Bruges.
He faces preliminary terrorism charges for the Paris attacks, which killed 130 people.