Lewis Sanders IV (with AFP, AP, Reuters)March 24, 2016
Prime Minister Charles Michel rejected resignation offers from his interior and justice ministers after the Brussels attacks. Belgian authorities have faced allegations of security shortcomings since Tuesday's bombings.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Warnand
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Belgium's interior and justice ministers on Thursday offered to resign after Turkey revealed that one of the suicide bombers involved in Tuesday's attacks in Brussels had been within the grasp of European authorities.
"You can ask how it came about that someone was let out so early and that we missed the chance to seize him when he was in Turkey. I understand the question," Interior Minister Jan Jambon said ahead of a meeting of EU interior and justice ministers in Brussels.
"In the circumstances, it was right to take political responsibility," Jambon told Belgian commercial broadcaster VTM.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Ankara had deported Ibrahim El Bakraoui, one of the terror suspects, to the Netherlands in June 2015.
According to Erdogan, Turkey warned Belgian and Dutch authorities that Bakraoui was a "foreign terrorist fighter" whom officials had arrested near the border with Syria.
Bakraoui had been sentenced to nine years in a Belgian prison for an armed robbery, and the authorities had released him on parole before he had completed his term.
"It's not easy to get people back behind bars who flagrantly break their parole conditions, as was probably the case with Mr. Bakraoui," said Justice Minister Koen Geens.
Rejected
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel refused to accept their resignation, said Jambon.
Michel told federal and regional parliaments on Thursday that Belgian authorities "will do absolutely everything to shed light on the attacks."
"There can be no impunity … there can be no shadow of a doubt," the prime minister said, in reference to those responsible for the attacks.
More than 30 people were killed on Tuesday after bombs were detonated in Brussels' international airport and Maelbeek metro station.
Brussels, Istanbul, Jakarta: Global terror in 2016
The March 22 terror attack in Brussels was Europe's deadliest since the November 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. DW takes a look at some of the major terrorist attacks across the globe in 2016.
Image: Reuters/F. Lenoir
Bombing in Istanbul: January 12
A suicide bombing on a popular square in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, left 13 people dead and more than a dozen injured. Almost all of the dead were foreigners. The perpetrator was identified as Nabil Fadli, a Syrian devotee of the "Islamic State" (IS).
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Kneffel
Jakarta bombings: January 14
Indonesian police commandos raided the house of a suspected terrorist in Cirebon, located on the island of Java, following the January 14, 2016, bomb attacks in Jakarta. A series of bombings in the capital left eight people dead and another 24 injured. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
Image: Getty images/AFP/Str
Splendid Hotel attack: January 15
Al Qaeda-backed militants attacked the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. At least 23 people from 18 countries were killed. A joint operation by French and Burkinabe forces freed many hostages.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Elsen
Ankara bombing: February 17
Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claimed the attack on a convoy of buses, killing military personnel and civilians during the evening rush hour in Turkey's capital, Ankara. At least 29 people were killed and another 60 injured.
Image: Reuters/Ihlas News Agency
Hotel attack in Mogadishu: February 26
A suicide bomber rammed his car into a hotel in the Hamarweyne district of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and then gunmen stormed the building. The attack, by militants linked to al Shabab, killed at least 15 people and left dozens wounded.
Image: Reuters/F. Omar
Grand-Bassam shootings: March 13
Gunmen linked to al Qaeda's North Africa branch attacked the Etoile du Sud hotel in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast. At least 18 people were killed and another 33 were injured. The hotel is popular with expats in Ivory Coast.
Image: Reuters/L. Gnago
Ankara bombing: March 13
A car filled with explosives blew up in a public square in the heart of the Turkish capital, killing 37 people and injuring 127. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claimed responsibility.
Image: Reuters/U. Bektas
Brussels bombings: March 22
At least 34 people were killed and more than 170 injured in coordinated attacks in Brussels. Two blasts occurred at the departures area of Brussels Airport at about 8 a.m. One hour later, an explosion hit Maelbeek metro station, which is close to the main EU buildings.
