Beginning of the trial of the Brussels attacks
Yesterday, the trial for the Brussels attacks in 2016 was started at Justitia, where the Brussels Assize Court is established for the next six months.
Explosions left 32 dead and hundreds injured on March 22, 2016, in the Maelbeek metro station of Brussels and at Zaventem airport. Nine defendants will appear in the trial. One of them must answer for participation in the activities of a terrorist group, the others are also prosecuted for assassinations and attempted assassinations in a terrorist context. A tenth defendant is presumed dead.
Ten men are accused in the trial. Osama Atar, who is believed to have died in Syria, is missing. Eight others - Mohamed Abrini, Osama Krayem, Salah Abdeslam, Sofien Ayari, Bilal El Makhoukhi, Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa, Ali El Haddad Asufi, Smail Farisi - are accused of participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist assassinations of 32 people and terrorist assassination attempts on 695 people. The ninth, Ibrahim Farisi, must answer only for participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
