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Version 4 Version 5
2 Brothers Identified as Brussels Attackers; 3rd Suspect Is Sought 2 Brothers Identified as Brussels Attackers; 3rd Suspect Is Sought
(about 1 hour later)
BRUSSELS — Two bombers who carried out deadly attacks on Tuesday at Brussels Airport have been identified as brothers with criminal records, public broadcasters in Belgium reported on Wednesday. BRUSSELS — Two suicide bombers who carried out deadly attacks on Tuesday in Brussels have been identified as brothers with criminal records, Belgian officials said on Wednesday. The toll from the assaults, at the city’s main airport and at a subway station in central Brussels, stood at 31 dead and 270 injured.
The brothers were identified as Khalid el-Bakraoui, 27, and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, 30, whom the police had been seeking since the March 15 raid on an apartment in the Forest district of Brussels, the radio station RTBF reported, citing police sources. At least one of the brothers is believed to have died in the attacks at the airport. The brothers — Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, 30, and Khalid el-Bakraoui, 27 — were both Belgian and had a criminal history, but they had no known links to terrorism until the authorities conducted a raid on March 15 on an apartment in the Forest district of Brussels as part of the investigation into the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris.
A third attacker has not been publicly identified and was still at large. Belgian news outlets reported that a police operation was underway on Wednesday in the Anderlecht neighborhood of Brussels. Two police officers there said that an arrest had been made. The identity of the person who was arrested was not immediately clear. Ibrahim and another man blew themselves up at the airport at 7:58 a.m. — in two explosions, nine seconds apart — and then Khalid carried out a suicide attack at the Maelbeek subway station, around an hour later, Frédéric Van Leeuw, the Belgian federal prosecutor, said at a news conference. It was not immediately clear whether Khalid had also participated in the airport attacks.
Since Friday, Belgian authorities have been searching for Najim Laachraoui, a suspect who has been linked to the Paris attacks in November. Whether Mr. Laachraoui was the man recorded with the Bakraoui brothers by a security camera at Brussels Airport on Tuesday is not clear. Belgium observed a minute of silence at noon on Wednesday. The nation remained in a state of mourning and on the highest state of alert. The airport — which is being treated as a crime scene — remains closed. Many subway lines were not running. The Maelbeek station, where about 20 people were killed, remained shut. Some schools were open. But many employees stayed home.
Frédéric Van Leeuw, the Belgian federal prosecutor, is scheduled to give another briefing on Wednesday. Many questions remained unanswered: Did the attacks relate to the capture on Friday of Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving member of the team directly involved in the deadly attacks in and around Paris on Nov. 13? What additional attacks are the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Tuesday assaults, planning? An intensive hunt continued for a man who was recorded by a security camera alongside Ibrahim el-Bakraoui at the airport on Tuesday and who is believed to have fled. The identity of a third man in the footage was not clear.
And if the Bakraoui brothers have been wanted since the March 15 raid, as several Belgian news outlets reported last week, why did the authorities not issue a most-wanted alert asking for the public’s help in finding them? The police raided a building in the Anderlecht neighborhood of Brussels on Wednesday. Officers in hazmat suits carted out files and plastic boxes from the building, while masked officers stood guard outside. Two police officers in the neighborhood said an arrest had been made, but the identity of the person arrested was not clear.
Khalid el-Bakraoui is believed to have rented the apartment in Forest, under a false name, as well as one in Charleroi, Belgium. The raid in Forest turned up fingerprints belonging to Mr. Abdeslam. Since Friday, Belgian authorities have been searching for Najim Laachraoui, a suspect who has been linked to the Paris attacks in November. Whether Mr. Laachraoui was involved in the attacks on Tuesday is not clear.
Ibrahim el-Bakraoui was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2010 after shooting at police officers following an attempted robbery of a currency exchange office. Several Belgian news outlets reported last week that the Bakraoui brothers had been wanted since the March 15 raid. It was not clear why the authorities had not asked the public to help find them.
In 2011, Khalid el-Bakraoui was sentenced to five years in prison for attempted carjackings; at the time of his arrest, he had been in possession of assault rifles. Khalid el-Bakraoui is believed to have rented the apartment in Forest under a false name, and another in Charleroi, Belgium. The raid in Forest turned up fingerprints belonging to Salah Abdeslam, who was captured on Friday and is suspected of having participated in the Paris attacks.
The attacks on Tuesday, on Brussels Airport and the Maelbeek subway station in Brussels, killed at least 30 people. Ibrahim el-Bakraoui was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2010 for shooting at police officers after the attempted robbery of a currency exchange office.
A day earlier, the Belgian authorities identified Mr. Laachraoui, a 24-year-old Belgian citizen, as an accomplice of Mr. Abdeslam and enlisted the public’s help in finding him. Mr. Laachraoui went to Syria in February 2013, and, using the name Soufiane Kayal, was one of two men using fake Belgian identification cards who were with Mr. Abdeslam in a Mercedes on Sept. 9 as they passed through a checkpoint between Hungary and Austria. Mr. Laachraoui was also carrying a fake Syrian identification card. In 2011, Khalid el-Bakraoui was convicted on charges of attempted carjacking; at the time of his arrest, he had been in possession of assault rifles.
Mr. Laachraoui is now being sought as the possible bomb maker. His DNA was found on at least one of the suicide belts used in the Paris attacks and at a house in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, according to Claude Moniquet, a former intelligence official in France and the co-founder of a Belgium-based think tank, the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center. In Schaerbeek, the police found traces of the explosive TATP and believe suicide vests may have been assembled there, he said. Mr. Laachraoui’s DNA was found on at least one of the suicide belts used in the Paris attacks and at a house in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, according to Claude Moniquet, a former intelligence official in France and the co-founder of a Belgium-based think tank, the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center. In Schaerbeek, the police found traces of the explosive TATP and believe suicide vests may have been assembled there, he said.
The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said that a raid Tuesday afternoon in Schaerbeek turned up “an explosive device” and “chemical products,” but it was not immediately clear if TATP was among them.The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said that a raid Tuesday afternoon in Schaerbeek turned up “an explosive device” and “chemical products,” but it was not immediately clear if TATP was among them.
Speaking on La Première radio on Wednesday morning, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said that police raids would continue, and that the threat status would remain at its highest level, 4.Speaking on La Première radio on Wednesday morning, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said that police raids would continue, and that the threat status would remain at its highest level, 4.
“There are many hypotheses to put on the table,” he said. “It’s up to investigators to sort out fact from fiction.”“There are many hypotheses to put on the table,” he said. “It’s up to investigators to sort out fact from fiction.”
Mr. Jambon discounted speculation that the attacks were reprisals for the arrest of Mr. Abdeslam, saying it was unlikely that terrorists “could have launched attacks of a scale seen yesterday in two, three days.”Mr. Jambon discounted speculation that the attacks were reprisals for the arrest of Mr. Abdeslam, saying it was unlikely that terrorists “could have launched attacks of a scale seen yesterday in two, three days.”
Speaking later to RTL radio, Mr. Jambon said it was unlikely that the attacks could have been avoided if Belgium had been at the highest threat level instead of Level 3, which was imposed after the Paris attacks.Speaking later to RTL radio, Mr. Jambon said it was unlikely that the attacks could have been avoided if Belgium had been at the highest threat level instead of Level 3, which was imposed after the Paris attacks.
“We were at Level 3; that means the probability is enormously elevated,” he said, adding that Belgium had “everything possible in place to avoid a catastrophe like what happened yesterday, like other countries.”“We were at Level 3; that means the probability is enormously elevated,” he said, adding that Belgium had “everything possible in place to avoid a catastrophe like what happened yesterday, like other countries.”
Mr. Jambon added, “A zero risk is not going to happen.”Mr. Jambon added, “A zero risk is not going to happen.”
“Level 4 is when we have information that an attack will occur at a certain moment, in a certain place,” he continued. “We did not have that information.”“Level 4 is when we have information that an attack will occur at a certain moment, in a certain place,” he continued. “We did not have that information.”
Belgium remained at its highest terror alert level on Wednesday. The airport — which is being treated as a crime scene — remains closed. Some bus, subway and tram lines were operating with limited stops, while others were still shut down. Security forces were monitoring access to the subway network and checking bags. Subway service was limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eurostar trains connecting Brussels and London were running again. Some schools were open, and, as of 4 p.m., citizens will no longer be asked to stay indoors. Belgium remained at its highest terror alert level on Wednesday. Some bus, subway and tram lines were operating with limited stops, while others were still shut down. Security forces were monitoring access to the subway network and checking bags. Subway service was limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eurostar trains connecting Brussels and London were running again. Some schools were open, and, as of 4 p.m., citizens will no longer be asked to stay indoors.
The Place du Grand Sablon, a handsome square in central Brussels that normally pulsates with tourists and shoppers seeking chocolates and luxury goods, was silent. Several shops were closed. At one cafe, the few customers were hunched over newspapers.The Place du Grand Sablon, a handsome square in central Brussels that normally pulsates with tourists and shoppers seeking chocolates and luxury goods, was silent. Several shops were closed. At one cafe, the few customers were hunched over newspapers.
Under gray drizzle, the road in front of the Maelbeek subway station remained closed. Most employees of the European Union buildings in the area, which is usually bustling on a weekday morning, appeared to have stayed home.Under gray drizzle, the road in front of the Maelbeek subway station remained closed. Most employees of the European Union buildings in the area, which is usually bustling on a weekday morning, appeared to have stayed home.
“It’s a scary situation,” said Anton Zeilinger, an Austrian diplomat who lives and works nearby and who was at his office when the station was bombed on Tuesday. He said of the attackers, “A few bombs won’t destroy the way we live, even if they want to.”“It’s a scary situation,” said Anton Zeilinger, an Austrian diplomat who lives and works nearby and who was at his office when the station was bombed on Tuesday. He said of the attackers, “A few bombs won’t destroy the way we live, even if they want to.”
Dozens of people continued to gather at the Place de la Bourse to light candles and place flowers, drawings and other tokens of grief at a makeshift memorial in the middle of the square.
In the Eurostar lounge at the Gare du Midi, one of the main train stations in Brussels, passengers stood in respect at noon. Access to the station was through just one entrance, and soldiers searched bags and luggage before allowing anyone in to buy tickets or to walk to the platforms. The subway lines that connect the train station to the rest of the city were closed.
Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union’s counterterrorism coordinator, told RTBF that the apparent link between the Bakraoui brothers and Mr. Abdeslam suggested that the Brussels attacks were not the work of another active terrorist cell.Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union’s counterterrorism coordinator, told RTBF that the apparent link between the Bakraoui brothers and Mr. Abdeslam suggested that the Brussels attacks were not the work of another active terrorist cell.
He suggested that, from a security perspective, this could mitigate the current threat.He suggested that, from a security perspective, this could mitigate the current threat.
The Brussels Airport said Wednesday morning that it was still determining when it could reopen, but that it would be closed at least through Thursday.The Brussels Airport said Wednesday morning that it was still determining when it could reopen, but that it would be closed at least through Thursday.
Areas like the Brussels Airport departure hall are particularly vulnerable because, like at most Western airports, bags are not searched until after check-in. That allows a would-be attacker to pack a bomb into a suitcase that could have far more space than an explosive vest and therefore be far more lethal.Areas like the Brussels Airport departure hall are particularly vulnerable because, like at most Western airports, bags are not searched until after check-in. That allows a would-be attacker to pack a bomb into a suitcase that could have far more space than an explosive vest and therefore be far more lethal.
In terrorism-plagued countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq and some others in the Middle East, bags are put through scanners when travelers enter the airport. In terrorism-plagued countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, and across the Middle East, bags are put through scanners when travelers enter the airport.
At least one of the bombs used in Brussels — the one at the airport — did far more damage and appears to have been far more powerful than those used in Paris, blowing out many of the windows in the large departure hall and shaking nearby buildings.At least one of the bombs used in Brussels — the one at the airport — did far more damage and appears to have been far more powerful than those used in Paris, blowing out many of the windows in the large departure hall and shaking nearby buildings.