New lawyer could delay Belgium trial of Paris terror suspect

A trial in Belgium set for next week for the lone surviving suspect in the November 2015 extremist massacres in Paris may be postponed due to the appointment of a defense lawyer.

The chairman of a bar association in Brussels said Wednesday that Salah Abdeslam has linked up with his former lawyer, Sven Mary, only days before he was to stand trial for a 2016 shooting. Belgian prosecutors allege the shooting took place while Abdeslam was on the run from France.

Bar chairman Patrick Dillen told the VRT network in Belgium: "Apparently there is confidence between Salah Abdeslam and his lawyer, Sven Mary."

Belgian media report that the trial scheduled to open on Monday will almost certainly be postponed to give the lawyer time to prepare for the case.