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Man named as Fayçal C charged over 'core role' in Brussels bomb attacks Man named as Fayçal C charged over 'core role' in Brussels bomb attacks
(about 2 hours later)
Belgian prosecutors have charged a man named only as Fayçal C with playing a “core role” in the suicide bomb attacks on Brussels airport and the city’s metro that killed 31 people and injured 300. Belgian prosecutors have charged a man identified as Fayçal Cheffou with playing a core role in the suicide bomb attacks on Brussels airport and metro that killed 31 people and injured 340.
The suspect was officially identified as Fayçal C but named by sources close to the inquiry as Cheffou, a self-styled journalist thought to be the “man in the hat” captured on CCTV at Brussels airport. He was one of several men detained in police raids on Thursday.
Cheffou faces charges of participation in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings. The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, told Le Soir newspaper that Cheffou had been detained several times at a park, where he sought to encourage asylum seekers camped there to turn to radical extremism. Cheffou was “dangerous”, the mayor said, and had been banned from the park.
He was being tailed in a car by police when he was arrested on Thursday night outside the federal prosecutor’s office with two other people. Asked if he was the suspected third bomber dubbed the “man in the hat” alongside bombers Ibrahim el-Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, a source close to the inquiry told AFP: “That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on.”
A second man, Aboubakar A, arrested separately on Thursday night in a car in Brussels, has also been charged with participating in terrorist activities. A man who was shot and arrested at a tram stop in Schaerbeek on Friday is being held for a further 24 hours of questioning.
The interior minister and mayor have asked Brussels residents to delay a planned memorial and mourning “march against fear” through the city centre, saying police needed to concentrate on the investigations, as a string of raids and arrests continued.
“Let us allow the security services to do their work and that the march, which we too want to take part in, be delayed for several weeks,” Mayeur told a press conference .
Related: Brussels attacks: Belgium police arrest six people after suicide bombingsRelated: Brussels attacks: Belgium police arrest six people after suicide bombings
Barack Obama told Belgians in his weekly radio and internet address that Americans have “their back” in the fight against terrorism and that US officials are working with allies to root out Islamic State operations in Europe.
The fast-moving investigation has uncovered links to the Paris attacks of last November and triggered arrests across Belgium and in Germany and France, suggesting the bombs were the work of a large international network.The fast-moving investigation has uncovered links to the Paris attacks of last November and triggered arrests across Belgium and in Germany and France, suggesting the bombs were the work of a large international network.
Fayçal C faces charges of participation in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings. He was seized on Thursday night outside the federal prosecutor’s office in the centre of Brussels. Belgian police also made arrests on Friday relating to an alleged foiled plot in France after explosives were found in Argenteuil on the edge of Paris. One man, named as Rabah N, has been charged in relation to the Paris investigation.
The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, told Le Soir newspaper that Fayçal C, a self-styled freelance journalist, had been detained several times at a park, where he sought to encourage asylum seekers camped there to turn to radical extremism. Fayçal C was “dangerous”, the mayor said, and he had been banned from the park. Obama said US officials had increased intelligence cooperation and the FBI had sent agents to help with the investigation and offered prayers for the families of two Americans killed. So far, police have identified 24 victims from nine countries.
A second man, Aboubakar A, arrested separately on Thursday night in a car in another part of Brussels, has also been charged with participating in terrorist activities. The city is still reeling from the bloodshed and revelations of the extent of the network behind the attacks.
A man who was shot and arrested at a tram stop in Schaerbeek, Brussels, on Friday is being held for a further 24 hours of questioning.
Related: The horror of Brussels: 'My memories stop at 9.10am. When they come back, I have blood on my face'Related: The horror of Brussels: 'My memories stop at 9.10am. When they come back, I have blood on my face'
The interior minister and mayor asked Brussels residents on Saturday to delay a planned memorial and mourning “march against fear” through the city centre, saying police needed to concentrate on the investigations, as a string of raids and arrests continued. As the painstaking task of identifying the victims continued, officials said 24 of those killed had now been formally identified, 11 of whom were foreign nationals. Of the 340 people injured, 62 were still in intensive care.
“Let us allow the security services to do their work and that the march, which we too want to take part in, be delayed for several weeks,” Mayeur told a press conference at the national crisis centre. The airport is expected to be closed until at least Monday for repairs and new security measures.
Belgian police had also made arrests on Friday relating to an alleged foiled terror plot in France after explosives were found in Argenteuil on the edge of Paris. One man, Rabah N, has been charged with participating in terrorist activities in relation to the Paris investigation. No details were provided as to what these measures would involve but, in the aftermath of the attack, it has faced criticism that security had been light with no systematic checks on passengers entering the departure hall.
Obama said US officials had increased intelligence cooperation and the FBI had sent agents to help with the investigation and offered support for the families of two Americans killed. So far, police have identified 24 victims from nine countries.
The city is still reeling from the bloodshed and subsequent revelations of the extent of the network behind the attacks. The airport is expected to be closed until at least Monday for repairs and planning of new security measures.
Related: After the Brussels attacks, we’re starting to develop a coping strategy | Jonathan FreedlandRelated: After the Brussels attacks, we’re starting to develop a coping strategy | Jonathan Freedland
No details were provided as to what the new security measures would involve but, in the aftermath of the attack, there were claims that security had been light with no systematic checks on passengers entering the departure hall.
The Easter weekend is normally one of the busiest of the year, with thousands of holidaymakers jetting off from Brussels to destinations worldwide.The Easter weekend is normally one of the busiest of the year, with thousands of holidaymakers jetting off from Brussels to destinations worldwide.
Following the attacks, airlines moved operations to regional airports or even to neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. Airlines have moved operations to regional airports or even to neighbouring countries. Ryanair moved its Brussels flights to its base at Charleroi, about an hour’s drive south of the Belgian capital.
Ryanair moved its Brussels flights to its main base at Charleroi, about an hour’s drive south of the Belgian capital. Barack Obama told Belgians in his weekly radio and internet address that Americans have “their back” in the fight against terrorism and that US officials are working with allies to root out Islamic State operations in Europe.