Abdeslam’s Mother and Sister Released After Custody Tied to USB Inquiry

Overview

• Police detained several close relatives Saturday in the Vendin-le-Vieil prison parking lot as they arrived for a visit, prompting the prison to cancel Abdeslam’s parloir sessions.
• The mother and sister were held on suspicion of bringing an illicit item into detention and were released Monday without charges, according to their lawyers.
• Judicial sources say the arrests fall under an anti‑terror judge’s probe into USB drives linked to Abdeslam’s detention and are not tied to any attack plot.
• Defense lawyers accuse authorities of using the custody to keep a glass-and-intercom barrier, known as a hygiaphone, during visits after a Lille court ordered looser conditions in early April.
• The prison service denies any tactic and says the hygiaphone will be lifted at the next visit, as the broader USB case continues from the 2025 discovery that led to charges against an ex‑companion.