The Belgian federal prosecutor on Monday released a man known as Fayçal C due to a lack of evidence linking him the March 22 Brussels attacks.
“The indications that led to the arrest of Fayçal C. were not substantiated by the ongoing inquiry. As a result, the subject has been released by the examining magistrate,”
Belgian federal prosecutor’s statement
On Saturday, the federal prosecutor said Faycal C had been charged with participation in a terrorist group, terrorist killings and attempted terrorist killings. He was detained near the federal prosecutor’s office on Thursday night. A search was carried out his home but no arms or explosives were found.
Media named the man as Fayçal Cheffou, who is thought to be a freelance journalist.
Belgium’s Le Soir newspaper quoted police sources as saying it was highly likely Fayçal Cheffou was the ‘third man’ in airport CCTV image and an unnamed “source close to the inquiry” told AFP that investigators were working on the hypothesis that Fayçal C was the third man in the airport CCTV footage . Le Soir and RTBF said the taxi driver who drove the attackers to the airport picked him out of a photo lineup.
Authorities did not confirm Fayçal C’s involvement in the airport attack. RTBF said that they were awaiting the results of DNA analyses.
Appeal for information
Meanwhile, Belgian police renewed their appeal for information on the third airport bomb suspect. The so-called “man in white” is believed to have fled the airport after his device – the most powerful of the three – did not detonate on March 22.
A video and more pictures were released on the police website showing the man walking through the airport with a trolley with the two bombers, Ibrahim el Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, moments before the attack.
Main image: A CCTV image of suspects in the Brussels airport attack.
#UPDATE Belgium releases sole suspect charged over Brussels attacks https://t.co/zUjc35ScBX #BrusselsAttacks pic.twitter.com/grTQ4xAX4h
— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 28, 2016
Full statement by the Belgian Federal Prosecutor on release of Faycal C #BrusselsAttacks https://t.co/3NdkIeOhAA
— James Franey (@jamesfraney) March 28, 2016
