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UP FRONTFriday 8 April 2016
Officials seek info on Brussels suspect in hat Battered EU is a loser again in
Dutch referendum on Ukraine
JOHN DAHLBURG subway, also died in the at- arrested on terror charges
Associated Press tacks, which wounded 270 as the missing man in the RAF CASERT Turnout was low, but just
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian people and were claimed hat. But prosecutors never Associated Press enough to make the vote
prosecutors launched a by Islamic State extremists. officially confirmed the re- BRUSSELS (AP) — It once valid.
public appeal Thursday According to a video re- ports, and a judge ordered seemed a quaint formal- “That is a vote of no con-
seeking any information on constitution of the sus- the man’s release. ity, but the Netherlands’ fidence by the people
“the man in a hat” seen be- pect’s itinerary presented Also Thursday, the lawyer referendum on a Europe- against the elite from
an Union free-trade deal Brussels,” said right-wing
In this Belgian Federal Police hand out picture made available Thursday April 7, 2016 the third with Ukraine amounted firebrand Geert Wilders,
suspect, of the recent attack on Brussels airport is shown, indicated in box, during his escape from to a slap in the face for who has directed his
the airport after the blasts. Belgian prosecutors launched a public appeal Thursday seeking any the EU — and yet another venom against the EU as
information on “the man in a hat” seen before the Brussels Airport suicide bombings that killed 16 serious challenge to the much as against the na-
people. European dream. tional government.
Jean-Claude Juncker, The Netherlands al-
(Belgian Federal Police via AP) the president of the EU’s ready rejected a pro-
executive Commission, posed EU constitution in
fore the Brussels Airport sui- to reporters, the man left for Paris attacks suspect had warned ahead of a 2005 referendum, and
cide bombings that killed the Brussels Airport termi- Salah Abdeslam said it will Wednesday’s poll that that proved a tipping
16 people. Belgian Federal nal at 7:58 a.m. before the take some weeks before a rejection of the deal point for the fortunes of
Prosecutor Eric Van der two other men he was with his client can be extradited “would open the door to the bloc. Since then, it
Sypt said authorities were there detonated suitcases from Belgium to France. a great continental crisis.” has stumbled from one
especially interested in any laden with explosives. He Lawyer Sven Mary spoke Such is the EU’s standing crisis to the next, includ-
people who might have passed by a Sheraton ho- after a legal hearing on these days, however, that ing financial woes in sev-
filmed or photographed tel and a rental car park- the Belgian-born French its warnings are not only eral member nations that
him. ing lot, walked through the citizen’s continuing deten- disregarded but seen as raised questions over
The suspect was seen at town of Zaventem, discard- tion in Belgium. He said a provocation. the future of its common
the airport with two suicide ed his jacket, and was seen the existing “Belgian ar- The “great continental currency, and open dis-
bombers before they died on video footage at Mei- rest warrant must be lifted crisis” may not be immi- agreements on how to
in the March 22 attacks. A ser Square in northeastern for (Abdeslam’s) transfer” nent just yet, but with a deal with the influx of mi-
subsequent explosion at Brussels at 9:42 a.m. to France, in accordance separate British referen- grants. EU governments
Brussels’ Maelbeek subway Eight minutes later, his with the extradition request. dum on whether to leave do compromise to get
station killed another 16 trail vanishes. Belgian au- Mary said before Belgian the EU looming in June, agreements, but if such
people the same morning. thorities hope that they or authorities let Abdeslam the 28-nation bloc’s fu- deals get put to votes,
Photos released by pros- someone finds the discard- leave they want to ques- ture looks ever bleaker. electorates throughout
ecutors showed the man, ed jacket, saying it could tion the 26-year-old about “The president is sad,” much of the bloc tend
who was wearing a dark yield precious clues. Feder- another case — a deadly said Juncker’s spokes- to reject them. France
hat, leaving the airport on al Prosecutor Thierry Werts police raid in the Forest man, Margaritis Schinas. and Ireland also have re-
foot, walking to the near- also said many people neighborhood of Brussels “He will continue to do jected deals over recent
by town of Zaventem and who were around the hotel days before his arrest. battle for Europe,” Schi- years.“It again proves
then into Brussels, where all when the suspect walked Abdeslam fled to Belgium nas said, adding that “if there is huge skepticism
traces of him were report- by may now be overseas, after the deadly Nov. 13 at- he would be left the only about what the EU is up
edly lost. and asked for their assis- tacks on Paris and was ar- one to do it, he would do to,” said EU expert Hen-
The suspect also wore a tance as well. rested March 18 after four so.” drik Vos of Ghent Universi-
white jacket but discarded Prosecutors asked “people months on the run. Since While the EU was a band- ty. “You see this populism
it at some point, prosecu- who might have filmed or then he has been in a pris- wagon everybody want- ever more. Frist in Britain,
tors said. taken a photograph of the on in the Belgian city of Bru- ed to join two decades and now much more
The appeal for public as- suspect or think they can ges. He faces preliminary ago, it is indeed getting across the EU, and it has
sistance more than two provide extra information” terrorism charges in France lonely at the top now. led to this fundamental
weeks after the suicide to call a special telephone for the Paris attacks, which Even to the political distrust.”
bombings indicates that in- number or to email authori- killed 130 people, left hun- groups that forced the Wednesday’s result was
vestigators are at a stand- ties. dreds wounded and were Dutch referendum, it grist to the mill of Euro-
still. Three bombers, two at Belgian media had earlier also claimed by the Islamic was never going to be skeptics in Britain who
the airport and one in the identified a Brussels resident State group. q so much about the finer want their country to vote
points of trading with to leave theEU altogether
Ukraine. Under Dutch in a June 23 referendum.
law, it gave them the “This result gives the British
best chance to snub their people the signal that it is
nose at “Brussels” — in- moderate and normal to
creasingly used as a neg- reject the EU and stand
ative term for the home up for what’s in our coun-
of EU institutions and their try’s best interests,” said
continentwide policies, Brian Monteith, a spokes-
which critics see as inter- man for Britain’s Leave.
fering with national life. EU campaign. “The sun is
Final results released Thurs- now setting on the Euro-
day in the Netherlands pean Union.”
showed 61.1 percent re- The Dutch result also de-
jected the EU-Ukraine livered a political victory
deal, which was backed to Moscow, whether or
by the Dutch govern- not voters intended that.
ment and the EU leaders. q
