The attacks left 32 people dead and more than 300 people injured. Three suicide bombers were also killed in the explosions, while another bomber was reportedly killed in action in Syria and will be tried in absentia.
The defendants respond to different charges. Some of them were prepared for a suicide mission, but only changed their minds at the last moment, writes “Reuters”. Investigators are convinced that another explosion was to have taken place at the airport and another in a subway train. Several Islamists are accused of having participated in the planning of the crime and/or of helping the attackers obtain explosives, while others have been accused of helping the representatives of the wanted terrorist cell to hide and avoid arrest even after the attacks.
Interestingly, six of the people on trial in Brussels were found guilty in June 2015 of the terrorist attacks in Paris. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from ten years to life in prison. In France the verdict was handed down by a judge, but in Belgium it was decided to set up a jury trial. Last week, 36 jurors were selected from more than 700 people who received subpoenas after a lottery. 12 of them are the so-called basic team, and 24 are reserve players, writes “The Brussels Times”. The prosecutor believes that the trial will last at least until the middle of next summer, and in such cases the possibility that one of the jurors may no longer be able to participate should be considered. AFP points out that in Belgium citizens have to answer if the court invites them to become jurors (the selection itself is guided by a judge, who tends to have his or her own considerations), and ignoring the summons is punishable by a fine of up to 8,000 euros.
Belgium has invested around 35.3 million euros in organizing the trial, and this amount does not include funding for security measures, writes “The Brussels Times”. The major expenses – up to 25 million euros – were necessary for the reconstruction and adaptation of the former NATO headquarters for the grand trial. In October, following disputes by the defendants’ lawyers, the window installed around the defendant’s bench was dismantled and rebuilt. Lawyers complained that their clients looked like caged animals. Last week, all nine defendants were brought to court for the first time, but it was only a formality: they only had to give their names. Belgian law does not require defendants to declare whether or not they are guilty before trial. It is expected that several dozen witnesses (mostly relatives and victims of victims of terrorist acts), as well as about 370 experts, will be heard during the hearings.
