PARIS (AFP) - Mehdi Nemmouche, the French Islamist arrested on suspicion of a triple murder at the Brussels Jewish Museum, is to contest being handed over by France to Belgium, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Nemmouche, who was arrested in Marseille on Friday, wants to stand trial in France and will fight a European arrest warrant issued by the Belgian authorities, the lawyer, Apolin Pepiezep told AFP.

Nemmouche's decision to contest the warrant could significantly delay his return to Belgium, where authorities wish to question him in connection with a shooting last week which left three people dead and another man in a critical condition with no prospect of recovery.