Mohamed Abrini, who was arrested Friday in the Anderlecht district of Brussels, has confessed to investigators to being the “man in the hat.”
BREAKING: Belgian prosecutors say suspect has admitted to being 'man with the hat' at Brussels Airport.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 9, 2016
Abrini was arrested in a raid with five others in connection for the terrorist attacks on Paris and Brussels. Four were charged — Abrini and three other men, identified as Osama Krayem, Herve B. M. and Bilal E. M. Two others were released.
After Abrini’s arrest, there had been much media speculation if he was in fact the third suspect shown in the CCTV before the Brussels airport attack.
The key remaining suspect in November's Paris terror attacks, Mohamed Abrini, has been arrested, Belgian media say https://t.co/3iX1agyN3S
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 8, 2016
Amateur footage allegedly shows the moment when Mohamed Abrini, the 'man in the hat' was arrested in Brussels https://t.co/bVYnZYRgck
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 8, 2016
The prosecutor’s office said in a statement: “The Federal Prosecutor’s Office can now confirm that that Mohamed Abrini indeed is the third man present at the Brussels National Airport attack. After being confronted with the results of a different expert examinations, he confessed his presence at the crime scene.”
Abrini also stated that he threw away his jacket in a garbage bin and sold his hat after the Brussels attacks.
Belgium prosecutor’s office says Abrini threw away his jacket and sold his hat afterwards.
— Emmanuelle Saliba (@_esaliba) April 9, 2016
On March 26, a man identified as Fayçal C was arrested, believed to be the “man in the hat”. However, he was released two days later.
Image: Belgium Federal Police/ AFP/ Getty Images
