Belgian
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
The trial of ten men accused of the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March 2016 begins today in Belgium. Two explosions at Brussels airport (Zaventem airport) and one in the subway at Maalbeek station in the city center resulted in the 32 people died and hundreds were injured. In Belgium it is called “the trial of the century”.
The men are on trial for committing 32 murders and 687 attempted murders with a terrorist motive. They are also accused of belonging to a terrorist organization. Suspects face life in prison.
Four questions about this case.
1. What happened on March 22, 2016?
On the evening of March 21, three terrorists ordered a taxi to their hideout in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels for the following morning. They went to the airport with big bags filled with explosives. There, two of the three explosives went off at around 08:00. The third man, Mohamed Abrini, left his bag at the airport and fled. He has become known as “the man in the hat” because that is how he appears on airport surveillance camera footage.
“I didn’t see myself killing people like that and I didn’t see myself killing myself,” she later said. He also said their targets were check-in counters for flights to the US, Israel and Russia. Sixteen people were killed at the airport.
Two others left in the morning from another address to carry out attacks on the subway. One of them detonated the explosives at 0910, just after the subway left Maalbeek station. Sixteen people were killed. The other suspect, Osama Krayem, changed his mind at the last minute and later disposed of her explosives in the shower and toilet at his shelter.
The following retrospective of the 2016 attacks contains shocking images:
The IS attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016
2. Who are the suspects?
Ten men are on trial. Most of them radicalized and joined the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. Some managed to return to Europe undetected during the 2015 refugee flood. Others were helped by Salah Abdeslam, a prime suspect.
Three terrorists blew themselves up: the two brothers Khalid and Ibrahim el Bakraoui and Najim Laacharaoui. The brothers set up hiding places and weapons. Oussama Atar was the leader of the terrorist group. He is said to have died in Syria in a drone strike, but this has not been proven. That is why his case is still under discussion in absentia.
The three main suspects on trial in Brussels are Mohamed Abrini, Osama Krayem and Salah Abdeslam. The most serious charges were filed against this trio: 32 murders and 687 attempted murders with a terrorist motive.
All ten suspects are on trial for involvement in the bombings and membership in a terrorist organization. Some rented safe houses to terrorists, others supplied weapons or were drivers.
Two main suspects, Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini, were also involved in the preparations for the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris and were sentenced to life in prison earlier this year. In Paris, 130 people died in the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France football stadium and numerous restaurants. Two other suspects, Osama Krayem and Sofien Ayari, were also convicted of these attacks, both receiving 30 years in prison.
3. Why were the attacks in Brussels carried out?
It was actually the intention to carry out the attacks during the European Football Championship in France in the same year. This is evident from the data on a laptop that was found in a Brussels rubbish bin. But on March 18, Abdeslam and Ayari were arrested and the media published photos of the Bakraoui brothers. Knowing that the arrest would not be long in coming, they decided on March 21 to strike the next day.
4. Why is the process only starting now and how long will it take?
The attacks were committed more than 6.5 years ago. The investigation took a long time, the file contains tens of thousands of pages of evidence, statements, photos and videos. The prosecutors also wanted to exclude that the trial went badly due to procedural defects, so everything was meticulously investigated.
Also, some old NATO buildings have been radically refurbished to make them suitable for such a large court case. And six of the ten suspects were still on trial trial in Paris for the November 2015 attacks. That process needed to be completed sooner.
The case comes before the assize court, a twelve-member city jury. It will be the longest trial ever held in Belgium. According to Belgian media, the case could last from six months to a year.
