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Brussels attack: Belgian police release 'man in the hat' suspect Faycal C citing lack of evidence | Brussels attack: Belgian police release 'man in the hat' suspect Faycal C citing lack of evidence |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The only man arrested and charged by prosecutors over the Brussels airport bombings has been released by Belgian police due to a lack of evidence. | |
Named by local media reports as Fayçal Cheffou, police said the suspect - who is also known as "the man in the hat" because of his appearance in CCTV footage – is not the man suspected of being the mystery third bomber. | |
Police said he had none of the links to the Paris attacks that characterised the other three men who died carrying out last Tuesday's attacks and have been identified. | |
Prosecutors had been attempting to link Cheffou to the bombings by DNA evidence from the scene, but have now let him go saying their suspicions had not been substantiated. | |
Earlier, officials released new CCTV footage of the suspect seen walking with the two airport bombers, Ibrahim el Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, moments before the attack. | |
Authorities released the video in the hope of identifying the man on the right, seen wearing light-coloured clothing and a black hat. | |
He was pushing a trolley carrying a suitcase containing what police said was the largest bomb of the three but it failed to detonate. | He was pushing a trolley carrying a suitcase containing what police said was the largest bomb of the three but it failed to detonate. |
His two accomplices died when their devices exploded in the airport terminal shortly after 8am killing 11 people and wounding 100 more. | |
Soon after, another suicide bomber attacked the Maalbeek metro station in the centre of the city killing another 20 people. He has been identified as Khalid El Bakraoui, Ibrahim's brother. | |
On Monday, Belgian authorities announced a further four people had died in hospital following the attacks. | |
On Sunday, Dutch authorities announced they had arrested a man in Rotterdam after a request by French authorities. They said they plan to extradite him to France to face charges in relation to an alleged foiled attempt to launch an attack on Paris. | |
Isis has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was revenge for Belgium’s role in air strikes against the terror group’s position in Syria and Iraq. | |
18 March, Salah Abdeslam: Arrested in Molenbeek, a now notorious district of Brussels linked to many terrorist suspects, Abdeslam was charged with ‘terrorist murder’ for November’s Paris attacks. | 18 March, Salah Abdeslam: Arrested in Molenbeek, a now notorious district of Brussels linked to many terrorist suspects, Abdeslam was charged with ‘terrorist murder’ for November’s Paris attacks. |
18 March, Amine Choukri: Also charged with terrorist murder over Paris. Real name not yet known. Linked to Abdeslam by German police. | 18 March, Amine Choukri: Also charged with terrorist murder over Paris. Real name not yet known. Linked to Abdeslam by German police. |
24 March, Facyal C: Apprehended in central Brussels. (Released on 28 March due to lack of evidence) | |
25 March, Rabah N: Charged in relation to an alleged foiled attempt to launch a terrorist attack on Paris. | 25 March, Rabah N: Charged in relation to an alleged foiled attempt to launch a terrorist attack on Paris. |
24 March, Aboubakar A: Apprehended by police in a car in Brussels, and charged with terrorism-related activities. | 24 March, Aboubakar A: Apprehended by police in a car in Brussels, and charged with terrorism-related activities. |
25 March, Abderamane A: Was jailed for seven years in 2005 in France after playing a part in the assassination of an Afghan commander in 2001. Shot last week at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels. | 25 March, Abderamane A: Was jailed for seven years in 2005 in France after playing a part in the assassination of an Afghan commander in 2001. Shot last week at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels. |
27 March, Yassine A, Mohamed B and Aboubaker O: Apprehended during raids in at 13 addresses across Brussels on Sunday. | 27 March, Yassine A, Mohamed B and Aboubaker O: Apprehended during raids in at 13 addresses across Brussels on Sunday. |