The French suspect arrested by police authorities had been convicted in Belgium in July 2015, French security sources said on Friday.

The suspect, named by French media as French national Reda Kriket, was convicted in absentia in Belgium in July along with Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader of the 13 November attacks on the French capital, and sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to the sources.

Kriket had a criminal record for armed robbery and was a key member of the so-called Zerkani network, a Belgian jihadist group responsible for sending at least 30 Belgian extremists to fight in Syria.

A small quantity of explosives were reportedly found in his apartment.

Source : MENA