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Brussels attacks: latest updates, March 25

March 25 updates on the March 22 Brussels attacks which killed 31 people and injured 300.

Latest headlines

Belgian prosecutor says 3 arrested are linked to Thursday Paris raid

Belgian Minister Jan Jambon says police “blundered” over Turkey deportation

Najim Laachraoui’s DNA found at Paris Bataclan

Najim Laachraoui’s confirmed as second airport suicide bomber

Explosions heard, one “neutralised” during police operation in Schaerbeek

Metro suspect held by police: Reuters

At least 2 US and 3 Dutch citizens confirmed dead

Doctors show metal shrapnel removed from victims

Seven people arrested in Brussels raids on Thursday night, Friday morning

Airport will remain closed until Monday at the earliest


Latest updates

Belgian prosecutor says 3 arrested are linked to Thursday Paris raid

Prosecutors said that the arrests of three people in Brussels on Friday were linked to a raid in Paris on Thursday, where an attack was apparently foiled.

“Police carried out two searches as part of a terrorism case linked to the arrest [near Paris] of Reda Kriket,” the prosecutor said in a statement on Friday.

Two of the three people arrested were injured in the leg during separate operations, one in the Foret district and the second in the Schaerbeek district.

 

Belgian Minister Jan Jambon says police “blundered” over Turkey deportation

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon on Friday blamed a police liaison officer “blunder” for Ibrahim El Bakraoui’s mishandled return from Turkey.

“Someone within the police was at the very least negligent and not very pro-active in a case where you immediately get the feeling that it involves terrorism,” he said.

Najim Laachraoui’s DNA found at Paris Bataclan

Najim Laachraoui’s confirmed as second airport suicide bomber

Najim Laachraoui, wanted in connection with November’s Paris attacks, has been identified as the second suicide bomber at Brussels airport.

Belgian special police units during a March 25 operation in Schaerbeek, Brussels (VRT)
Belgian special police units during a March 25 operation in Schaerbeek, Brussels (VRT)
Explosions heard, one “neutralised” during police operation in Schaerbeek

One person was wounded and detained in a major police operation in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, the local mayor said

At least 2 US and 3 Dutch citizens confirmed dead

Officials said at least two American citizens three three Dutch citizens are confirmed dead after the March 22 Brussels Brussels.

Metro suspect held by police

Reuters reports an un-named person familiar with the investigation said that Belgian investigators believe a man arrested on Thursday was an accomplice of Khalid El Bakraoui who blew himself up on a carriage of the Brussels metro at Maelbeek station.

A surgeon at Gasthuisberg hospital shows a piece of shrapnel that was pulled from a victim
A surgeon at Gasthuisberg hospital shows a piece of shrapnel that was pulled from a victim
Doctors show metal shrapnel removed from victims

Doctors at a Brussels hospital have shown the media and Belgium’s Royal Family pieces of metal shrapnel that they recovered from some of the Brussels terror attack victims.

Seven people arrested in Brussels raids

At least six people were arrested in Brussels on Thursday night in police raids connected to Tuesday’s attacks.

A seventh arrest was made on Friday morning, police confirmed to Het Nieuwsblad.

The Thursday operation was carried out by special units of the Federal Police in central Brussels, and in the Jette and Schaerbeek districts.

Three people, two men and a woman, were arrested outside the federal prosecutor’s office in central Brussels, two people were arrested in Jette, and one other was arrested elsewhere in the Belgian capital.

Arrest at office Federal Prosecutor (foto: Het Nieuwsblad)
Arrest at office Federal Prosecutor (foto: Het Nieuwsblad)

A “loud bang” was reported by residents of Schaerbeek, but this has not been confirmed.

The Guardian reported that police had sealed off a large area of Schaerbeek, and attention seemed to be focusing on one building in the district around midnight. RTBF reported that by 1 a.m. searches appeared limited to number 20, Rue du Pavilion.

It is expected that final decisions on charging the suspects will be made on Friday.

Airport closure

Brussels’ Zaventem International Airport said it will remain closed for scheduled passenger flights until Monday at the earliest. The airport posted information for travelers on its website.

Updates from March 24

Main image: People leaves messages in chalk on Brussels walls on March 23, 2016. Valentina Calà/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

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