French police said an explosive belt was found in Paris on Monday, close to the area that fugitive Saleh Abdeslam's phone was localised on the day of the attacks that killed 130 people earlier this month.
A street cleaner discovered the belt sitting in a dustbin in the southern suburb of Montrouge, police officials told AP. The belt is being analysed, a source close to the inquiry told AFP.
An international manhunt is currently underway to locate Abdeslam, with French authorities suspecting the Belgian of playing a key role in the coordinated shooting and suicide bombings on November 13.
According to French prosecutor Francois Molins, who is coordinating the investigation into the attacks, the vests used by the assailants were made using TATP (acetone peroxide), along with batteries and a detonator.
Across the border, Brussels will remain on the highest alert level until Monday, despite the increased security measures disrupting normal life in the city. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the country's capital, which also houses the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, faced a "serious and imminent" threat of attack, while the rest of the nation would stay at the second-highest level.
The country's crisis center said the alert level would only change this week if a significant breakthrough by investigators warranted it.
"We are very alert and call for caution," Michel said. "The potential targets remain the same; shopping centers and shopping streets and public transport. We want to return to a normal way of life as quickly as possible."