(CNN) The men dance to their favorite rapper, Lacrim, in a nightclub on Brussels' chic Avenue Louise.

Brahim Abdeslam, clearly visible, with a cigarette in his hand, flirts with a blond girl, while his younger brother Salah, dressed in an orange sweatshirt, whoops along with the group in the background.

This is a side of the Paris attackers that has never been seen before.

The date is February 8, 2015.

Just months later, Brahim would blow himself up at a cafe in Paris's 11th arrondissement. His suicide was part of a deadly ISIS mission that would kill 130 people and injure hundreds more. Salah would become the only known member of that cell to survive and go on the run.

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Fast forward another year to March 2016 and Salah is captured in the Belgian capital, which itself is rocked by its own twin attacks, bringing the effects of the Abdeslams' terror network right to the heart of their home city -- a city where those who knew the brothers reflect on how so many of their inner circle could have been radicalized so quickly.

Two friends, who filmed the video as they partied with Salah and Brahim that February night, agreed to share their stories with CNN, under the condition we hide their identities and speak far away from their neighborhood of Molenbeek.

So we meet in a park downtown, moments from the scene of the atrocity at Maelbeek metro station.

'A ladies' man'

Assuming false names, Karim and Rachid say they remember Brahim being the more serious one, while Salah was fun-loving.

"They were nice people," said Rachid. "I suppose you could say they lived life to the full."

"I saw Salah joke, smoke, drink and play cards," says Karim.

"If anything, he liked women. He was something of a ladies' man and I heard he had a girlfriend at one point."

Looking back, after that memorable night in February, Rachid says the brothers started to change.

"That was the last time I saw them drink," he says.

Photos: Brothers in terror Photos: Brothers in terror Salah Abdeslam, left, and his older brother Brahim have been implicated in the Paris attacks that killed 130 people in November. Brahim was killed when he set off his suicide vest in a cafe. Salah was captured in Brussels on Friday, March 18. Stephen Moore, a former FBI special agent, said he is not surprised that so many terrorist cases involve brothers. Many FBI cases involved siblings, he said. "They'll support each other even when they're not ideologically sold on what you're believing in," Moore said. "They're following you, not an ideology." Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror A pair of brothers -- Khalid El Bakraoui, left, and his older brother Brahim -- are among the five people who authorities say played a part in the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, March 22. They're not the only siblings who've been involved in a major terrorist attack. Two brothers sat side by side on the plane that slammed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Two brothers were involved in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. And authorities say two brothers were part of the same ISIS cell that wreaked carnage in Paris in November. What is it about brothers and terrorism? Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror Said Kouachi, left, and his brother Cherif barged into the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charle Hebdo and shot down 12 people in January 2015. Both died in a shootout with police. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror Two radicalized brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, set off bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April 2013. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, right, was later killed in a gunbattle with police. Dzohkar, wearing the backward hat, was convicted on 30 criminal charges and sentenced to death. He is in prison awaiting appeals. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror Mohammed Merah, right, fatally shot seven people in and around Toulouse, France, in March 2012. He was killed in a shootout with police. Prosecutors said Mohamed's brother Abdelkader, left, helped plan the crimes; Abdelkader is now serving a prison sentence. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror Salem al-Hazmi, left, and his brother Nawaf were aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror Waleed al-Shehri, left, and his younger brother, Wail, were aboard American Airlines Flight 11, sitting beside each other before they helped hijack the plane that crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Brothers in terror Ali Ghufron, left, recruited his two younger brothers -- Amrozi, center, and Ali Imron -- to participate in the Bali, Indonesia, bombings in 2002. They detonated two bombs on the tourist island, killing 202 people from 21 different countries. Hide Caption 8 of 8

"Brahim started to become more religious. He would attend Friday prayers at the mosque but otherwise pray at home."

At the time, the friends said they had no idea that the two had embarked upon their journey toward radicalism.

"They must have been changing bit by bit."

Karim and Rachid say they do not espouse such views themselves, though a family member of Karim's was recently prevented by authorities from trying to join ISIS in Syria.

He was just 15 years old.

"It happened so quickly our family barely noticed," Karim says. "Also so much of it goes on behind closed doors, on line, in their rooms."

'Like family'

Unemployed, with eight months' jail time under his belt, Karim would spend his afternoons at the cafe Les Beguines, not far from his home, where he became close to its new owners -- the Abdeslams -- in 2011.

He says he and Rachid would smoke cannabis.

They'd play poker for money, peddle soft drugs, and watch the brothers' beloved football team, Real Madrid, on the TV, Brahim cheering on its star player Cristiano Ronaldo.

"It was a fun place. It felt like family," says Rachid.

Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A forensic scientist works near a Paris cafe on Saturday, November 14, following a series of coordinated attacks in Paris the night before that killed scores of people. ISIS has claimed responsibility. Hide Caption 1 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Police are out in force November 14 near La Belle Equipe, one of the sites of the terror attacks. Hide Caption 2 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Forensic police search for evidence inside the Comptoir Voltaire cafe after the attacks. Hide Caption 3 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Shoes and a bloody shirt lie outside the Bataclan concert hall on November 14. Most of the fatalities occurred at the Bataclan in central Paris. Hide Caption 4 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Security forces evacuate people on Rue Oberkampf near the Bataclan concert hall early on November 14. Hide Caption 5 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Medics evacuate an injured woman on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire near the Bataclan early on November 14. Hide Caption 6 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Police, firefighters and rescue workers secure the area near the Bataclan concert hall on November 14. Hide Caption 7 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A man with blood on his shirt talks on the phone on November 14. He is next to the Bataclan theater, where gunmen shot concertgoers and held hostages until police raided the building. Hide Caption 8 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Police officers patrol the area around Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on November 14. Hide Caption 9 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Police officers patrol Paris' Saint-German neighborhood on November 14. Hide Caption 10 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Victims of the shooting at the Bataclan concert venue in central Paris are evacuated to receive medical treatment on November 14. Hide Caption 11 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A woman is evacuated from the Bataclan theater early on November 14. Hide Caption 12 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Forensics are working in the street of Paris after the terrorist attack on Friday, November 13. The words "horror," "massacre" and "war" peppered the front pages of the country's newspapers, conveying the shell-shocked mood. Hide Caption 13 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Rescuers evacuate an injured person near the Stade de France, one of several sites of attacks November 13 in Paris. Thousands of fans were watching a soccer match between France and Germany when the attacks occurred. Hide Caption 14 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A survivor of the terrorist attack in the Bataclan is assisted following terror attacks, November 13. The violence at the Bataclan, which involved a hostage-taking, resulted in the highest number of casualties of all the attacks. Hide Caption 15 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis. Hide Caption 16 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Spectators embrace each other as they stand on the playing field of the Stade de France stadium at the end of a soccer match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on November 13. Hide Caption 17 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A body, covered by a sheet, is seen on the sidewalk outside the Bataclan theater. Hide Caption 18 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, close to the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris. Hide Caption 19 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated outside the scene of a hostage situation at the Bataclan theater in Paris on November 13. Hide Caption 20 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A medic tends to a wounded man following the attacks near the Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire. Hide Caption 21 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A woman walks past police and firefighters in the Oberkampf area of Paris. Hide Caption 22 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A riot police officer stands by an ambulance near the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris. Hide Caption 23 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated outside the Bataclan concert hall. Hide Caption 24 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Police secure the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, following explosions during the soccer match between France and Germany. Hide Caption 25 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks A wounded man is evacuated from the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. Hide Caption 26 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Spectators gather on the field of the Stade de France after the attacks. Explosions were heard during the soccer match between France and Germany. Hide Caption 27 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks French security forces rush in as people are evacuated in the area of Rue Bichat in the 10th District of Paris. Hide Caption 28 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks People leave the Stade de France after explosions were heard near the stadium during a soccer match between France and Germany on Friday. Paris Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman told CNN President Francois Hollande was at the match and was evacuated at halftime. Hide Caption 29 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Victims lay on the pavement outside a Paris restaurant. Hide Caption 30 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks Rescue workers and medics tend to victims at the scene of one of the shootings, a restaurant in the 10th District. Attackers reportedly used AK-47 automatic weapons in separate attacks across Paris, and there were explosions at the Stade de France. Hide Caption 31 of 32 Photos: Night of terror: Paris attacks French security forces move people in the area of Rue Bichat in the 10th District. A witness told BFMTV that firefighters were on the scene to treat the injured. Hide Caption 32 of 32

Also part of that "family" are three more men held in custody for allegedly helping Salah while he was on the run. A fugitive, Mohammed Abrini, and a second Paris suicide bomber illustrate the pervasive nature of ISIS' spread on one sleepy, residential street in a working class suburb of Brussels.

Abrini, who allegedly drove with Abdeslam to Paris twice in the week of the attacks, still remains a wanted man. Rachid and Karim say he was a regular at the cafe. They say he used to visit in the evenings for a drink, and describe him as a tall, slim, quiet man who would keep to himself.

Belgian police have never questioned Rachid or Karim, the friends say, even though Karim was with one of the suspects -- Salah's alleged getaway driver -- on the night he was asked to come fetch him from France.

Karim and Rachid say that Hamza Attou, the driver, and his accomplice Mohammed Amri weren't aware of what they were getting themselves into.

When it comes to Salah, though, they aren't so sure.

"I doubt he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," says Karim.

'No one's born bad like that'

Looking back through his class photos, Karim shows me the face of a fellow pupil about 10 years old sitting on the row above him in the sports hall.

From his easy smile, it's impossible to predict the boy, Chakib Akrouh, would go on to gun down Parisians alongside Brahim before blowing himself up as well.

"The last I heard he had gone to Syria, married there and had a little girl."

Karim says he has a hard time understanding why his friends did what they did, but also how they did it, saying they must have been on drugs. "The only way I could do what they did was if I was completely drugged or drunk ... not in control of my senses," he says.

Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks President Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, second from right, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo arrive at the Bataclan, site of one of the Paris terrorists attacks, to pay their respects to the victims after Obama arrived in town for the COP21 climate change conference early on Monday, November 30, in Paris. Hide Caption 1 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks The Eiffel Tower in Paris is illuminated in the French national colors on Monday, November 16. Displays of support for the French people were evident at landmarks around the globe after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, November 13. Hide Caption 2 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People hold hands as they observe a minute of silence in Lyon, France, on November 16, three days after the Paris attacks. A minute of silence was observed throughout the country in memory of the victims of the country's deadliest violence since World War II. Hide Caption 3 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks French President Francois Hollande, center, flanked by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, right, and French Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, center left, stands among students during a minute of silence in the courtyard of the Sorbonne University in Paris on November 16. Hide Caption 4 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A large crowd gathers to lay flowers and candles in front of the Carillon restaurant in Paris on Sunday, November 15. Hide Caption 5 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A man sits next to candles lit as homage to the victims of the deadly attacks in Paris at a square in Rio de Janeiro on November 15. Hide Caption 6 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People light candles in tribute to the Paris victims on November 15 in Budapest, Hungary. Hide Caption 7 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People gather outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 15 for a national service for the victims of the city's terror attacks. Hide Caption 8 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People write messages on the ground at Place de la Republique in Paris on November 15. Hide Caption 9 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People pray during a candlelight vigil for victims of the Paris attacks at a church in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 15. Hide Caption 10 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks French golfer Gregory Bourdy passes a peace symbol for the Paris victims during the BMW Shanghai Masters tournament November 15 in Shanghai, China. Hide Caption 11 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A man offers a prayer in memory of victims of the Paris attacks at the French Embassy in Tokyo on November 15. Hide Caption 12 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A woman holds a candle atop a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower during a candlelight vigil Saturday, November 14, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hide Caption 13 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Front pages of Japanese newspapers in Tokyo show coverage and photos of the Paris attacks on November 14. Hide Caption 14 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks An electronic billboard on a canal in Milan, Italy reads, in French, "I'm Paris," on November 14. Hide Caption 15 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks The Eiffel Tower stands dark as a mourning gesture on November 14, in Paris. More than 125 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday. People around the world reacted in horror to the deadly terrorist assaults. Hide Caption 16 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Lithuanians hold a candlelight vigil in front of the French Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, on November 14. Hide Caption 17 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Thousands gather in London's Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil on November 14 to honor the victims of the Paris attacks. Hide Caption 18 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A woman lights candles at a memorial near the Bataclan theater in Paris on November 14. Hide Caption 19 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A man places a candle in front of Le Carillon cafe in Paris on November 14. Hide Caption 20 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A woman holds a French flag during a gathering in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 14. Hide Caption 21 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Nancy Acevedo prays for France during the opening prayer for the Sunshine Summit being held at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida on November 14. Hide Caption 22 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks French soldiers of the United Nations' interim forces in Lebanon observe the national flag at half-staff at the contingent headquarters in the village of Deir Kifa on November 14. Hide Caption 23 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A couple surveys the signature sails of the Sydney Opera House lit in the colors of the French flag in Sydney on November 14. Hide Caption 24 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A woman places flowers in front of the French Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 14. Hide Caption 25 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Candles are lit in Hong Kong on November 14 to remember the scores who died in France. Hide Caption 26 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A woman lights a candle outside the French Consulate in Barcelona, Spain, on November 14. Hide Caption 27 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Britain's Prince Charles expresses solidarity with France at a birthday barbecue in his honor near Perth, Australia, on November 14. Hide Caption 28 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks The French national flag flutters at half-staff on November 14 at its embassy in Beijing. Hide Caption 29 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte after a speech on November 14 in The Hague following the attacks. Hide Caption 30 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe becomes emotional after his speech on the French attacks during the opening ceremony of a Japanese garden in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 14. Hide Caption 31 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks A woman mourns outside Le Carillon bar in the 10th district of Paris on November 14. The attackers ruthlessly sought out soft targets where people were getting their weekends underway. Hide Caption 32 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People lay flowers outside the French Embassy in Moscow on November 14. Hide Caption 33 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Mourners gather outside Le Carillon bar in the 10th district of Paris on November 14. "We were listening to music when we heard what we thought were the sounds of firecrackers," a doctor from a nearby hospital who was drinking in the bar with colleagues told Le Monde. "A few moments later, it was a scene straight out of a war. Blood everywhere." Hide Caption 34 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People attend a vigil outside the French Consulate in Montreal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered "all of Canada's support" to France on Friday, November 13, in the wake of the attacks. Hide Caption 35 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks Police show a heightened presence in Times Square in New York on November 13, following the terrorist attacks in Paris. Hide Caption 36 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People light candles at a vigil outside the French Consulate in Montreal on November 13. Hide Caption 37 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks University of Nevada, Las Vegas, fans observe a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris before a basketball game November 13. Hide Caption 38 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks The house lights are shut off and scoreboard dark as Boston Celtics players pause for a moment of silence for the Paris victims before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks in Boston on November 13. Hide Caption 39 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacks People light candles at a vigil outside the French Consulate in Montreal on November 13. Hide Caption 40 of 40

"Believe me, madame," Rachid interjects. "No one's born bad like that."

In a way they too see themselves as victims of ISIS' spread across their deprived suburb.

"It's very serious," says Rachid.

"As young Muslim men with few opportunities, things will get even worse for our kind from now on," adds Karim.

"Plus these days even we are scared of being blown to pieces in the subway."