His earlier plot – in January in the eastern Belgian city of Verviers – was thwarted when police raided the terrorists’ hideout, killing two suspects.

Abaaoud was not found and is thought to have been in Turkey or Greece directing the pair by phone.

Police found four Kalashnikovs, four handguns, ammunition and explosives during the raid as well as a police radio and uniforms.

Two days later, officials in Athens announced they had captured Abaaoud but he had given them the slip.

Describing his return to Belgium for the beheading plot, he said he and his fellow fanatics faced a number of trials but ‘were able to obtain weapons and set up a safe house while we planned to carry out operations’.

He added: ‘After the raid on the safe house, they figured out that I had been with the brothers and that we had been planning operations together.

‘So they gathered intelligence agents from all over the world – from Europe and America – in order to detain me. I was able to leave and come to Syria despite being chased after by so many intelligence agencies. All this proves that a Muslim should not fear the bloated image of the crusader intelligence.’