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WORLD NEWSThursday 24 March 2016
Officials: Paris bombmaker among dead in Brussels attack
RAF CASERT In this undated combination photo provided by the Belgian tacks and found a com- on the investigation told
LORNE COOK Federal Police in Brussels on Monday, March 21, 2016, suspect puter in a trash can on the the AP that it is a “plausible
Associated Press Najim Laachraoui is shown. street including a note from hypothesis” that Abdeslam
BRUSSELS (AP) — The sus- Ibrahim El Bakraoui saying was part of the cell linked
pected bombmaker in the Associated Press he felt increasingly unsafe to the Brussels attack. The
Paris attacks in November and feared landing in pris- official spoke on condition
was one of two suicide remains found at the blast mained at its highest level, on. He was the brother who of anonymity because he
bombers who targeted the site at Brussels airport. One meaning there was danger Turkish officials said was wasn’t authorized to pub-
Brussels airport, officials said European official and one of an imminent attack, said deported from Turkey to licly discuss an ongoing in-
Wednesday, in a new sign French police official spoke Paul Van Tigchelt, head of the Netherlands. Belgium’s vestigation.
that both attacks are linked on condition of anonymity Belgium’s terrorism threat justice minister said authori- French and Belgian au-
to the same cell of the Is- because they weren’t au- body. The attacks killed 31 ties there knew him as a thorities have said in recent
lamic State group. thorized to divulge details people, not including three common criminal, not an days that the network be-
The revelation that Najim of the Belgian investigation. suicide bombers, and in- extremist, and that he was hind the Paris attacks was
Laachraoui was among Both officials were briefed jured 270 others, authorities sent back to the Nether- much larger than initially
the bombers came as Bel- on the investigation. said. lands, not Belgium. thought — and develop-
gians began three days of Laachraoui is believed to As government offices, A taxi driver who took Ibra- ments this week suggest
mourning for the victims of have made the suicide schools and residents held him El Bakraoui and two the same group could
the Brussels airport and sub- vests used in the Paris at- a moment of silence to others to the airport led have staged both the Paris
way bombings. The country tacks, a French police of- honor the dead, the mood investigators to an apart- and Brussels attacks.
remained on high alert as ficial told The Associated was defiance mixed with ment where they found 15 The airport and several
authorities hunted for one Press, adding that Laa- anxiety that others involved kilograms (33 pounds) of Brussels metro stations re-
of the suspected attackers chraoui’s DNA was found in the attacks are still at TATP explosives, along with mained closed Wednes-
seen on surveillance video on all of the vests as well large. nails and other materials day, and authorities said
with Laachraoui and one as in a Brussels apartment Belgian Federal Prosecutor used to make bombs, Van the airport would remain
other suicide bomber. where they were made. Frederic Van Leeuw identi- Leeuw said. closed at least through
Turkish authorities, mean- The official spoke on condi- fied two of the Brussels at- Two were suicide bomb- Thursday, forcing the can-
while, said they had caught tion of anonymity because tackers as brothers — Ibra- ers, the prosecutor said; the cellation of 600 flights each
one of the suicide bomb- he wasn’t authorized to dis- him El Bakraoui, a suicide other was a man in a white day. Security forces stood
ers near the Turkish-Syrian cuss an ongoing investiga- bomber at the airport, and jacket and black cap who guard around the neigh-
border in July and sent him tion. Khalid El Bakraoui, who tar- fled before the bombs borhood housing the head-
back to the Netherlands, Several people who may geted the subway. went off, leaving behind a quarters of European Union
warning both that country be linked to the attacks Investigators raided the bag full of explosives. That institutions, as nervous Brus-
and Belgium that he was were still on the loose and Brussels neighborhood of bag later blew up, but no sels residents began return-
a “foreign terrorist fighter.” the country’s threat alert re- Schaerbeek after the at- one was injured. ing to school and work un-
But a Turkish official who The Islamic State group, der a misty rain.
spoke on condition of ano- which was behind the Paris Thousands of people gath-
nymity because he wasn’t attacks, has also claimed ered at Place de la Bourse
authorized to speak public- responsibility for the Brussels in the center of downtown
ly said the bomber was al- bombings. Brussels — including dozens
lowed to go free because Belgian state broadcast- of students chanting “stop
Belgian authorities could er RTBF, citing sources it the war” — in solidarity with
not establish any ties to ex- didn’t identify, said Khalid those killed.
tremism. El Bakraoui had rented an “In Belgium, it’s not every
Belgian authorities had apartment that was raided day that we show solidarity
been looking for Laa- last week in an operation politically,” said Fanny Nic-
chraoui since last week, that led authorities to Ab- aise, 24. She came out with
suspecting him of being deslam. some friends just to see and
an accomplice of top Paris Abdeslam was arrested be with others. “It’s impor-
attacks suspect Salah Ab- Friday in the Brussels neigh- tant that you aren’t alone
deslam, who was arrested borhood where he grew in your sadness.”
on Friday. up, a rough place with links Belgians paid homage and
Two officials told The As- to several of the attackers lit candles, the mood al-
sociated Press that Laa- who targeted a Paris sta- most buoyant as people
chraoui’s DNA was verified dium, rock concert and wrote on the ground with
as that of one of the suicide cafes on Nov. 13. Those at- big sticks of chalk, drawing
bombers Tuesday, after tacks killed 130 people. peace signs and hearts.q
samples were taken from A Belgian official working
