A Belgian court has approved the transfer of a key suspect in the "Islamic State"-claimed Paris terror attacks to France. But the process could take time due to his involvement in the Brussels terror attacks.
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Belgian federal prosecutors on Thursday announced the approval of terror suspect Mohamed Abrini's extradition to France, which suspects his involvement in the Paris terror attacks last year. The attacks had left 130 people dead.
A court in Brussels accepted the European arrest warrant issued last week against Abrini, known as the "man in the hat" suspect involved in the Brussels terror attacks in March.
However, the court remanded the terror suspect for one month due to his involvement in the Brussels airport and metro attacks, which left at least 32 people dead and hundreds more injured.
"The carrying out of the (European arrest warrant) will certainly not be done immediately. The timeline is not at all fixed," a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Abrini could also be questioned in Belgium by French investigators, the spokesman added.
"Currently, no additional information will be given regarding the further proceedings," the spokesman said.
One month after attacks, a worried Brussels carries on
On March 22, suicide bombings on the Brussels metro and at the international airport killed 32 people and upended life in the Belgian capital. One month later, the city is recovering slowly. Martin Kuebler reports.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
Heightened security
Increased police and army patrols, in place since the November attacks in Paris, are a familiar sight on the streets and public places of Brussels. But a military spokesman told broadcaster BX1 this week that the security presence could not continue indefinitely. Deployment since January has already cost the government 12 million euros ($13.5 million); that figure was 17 million for all of 2015.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Petit Tesson
Metro reopening
The Brussels regional transport authority, the STIB-MIVB, announced Friday that the Maelbeek metro station will reopen to the public next week. The transport network has largely resumed normal operations, though service on the metro is still limited. Ahead of Monday's reopening, members of parliament visited the station to pay tribute to the 16 people killed in a blast during morning rush hour.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
Basic service
The Brussels Zaventem airport, site of two bomb attacks in the departures hall that killed 16 people, was severely damaged. The airport was closed for 12 days following the attacks. Today, passengers - around half the usual number - are thoroughly screened in two large white tents before being granted access. The airport expects to be "100 percent operational" in June, though with basic services.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Dieffembacq
Tourism trouble
Since the attacks and the airport closure, the drop in tourism has been "catastrophic," said Sophie Blondel, of the Brussels Hotel Association. She told the French-language daily "Le Soir" that business has dropped by 40 percent. In an attempt to win back anxious tourists, Brussels authorities will suspend city tax on hotels for a limited time and have proposed free transport passes for visitors.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
No sale
Businesses have also been hit, with one souvenir shop owner near the famed Manneken Pis statue telling DW that his store, crammed with mugs, postcards and discount chocolates, had been "very calm in the last few weeks." He hoped, however, that things were starting to get back to normal. According to the Brussels Chamber of Commerce, about 10,000 jobs are at risk - and 20 percent of Belgium's GDP.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
No dinner
Restaurant owners in the center, already finding it hard to attract customers amid widespread construction and tunnel repairs, have also seen a drop in clientele. According to figures in "Le Soir," nearly three-quarters of restaurants surveyed have had a decrease of more than 20 percent over the past year. Earlier this week, Mayor Yvan Mayeur was kicked out of a struggling restaurant in protest.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
Future events
With the terror threat still at the second-highest level, authorities worry about the summer's major events. This week, summer music festival organizers announced that purses and backpacks would be banned, following the lead of football clubs. In Brussels, security officials are ramping up for two major events in early May: the Fête de l'Iris music festival and the Belgian Pride LGBT festival.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
Cultural boost
Brussels plans to devote 400,000 euros (about $450,000) to help performance spaces reinforce their security measures, "a strong message" for the ailing cultural sector, said Rudi Vervoort, head of the Brussels regional government. Meanwhile, in the neighborhood of Molenbeek, a new museum dedicated to urban art opened its doors last weekend - an attempt to shift the focus from terrorism.
Image: DW/D. Pundy
Nuclear threat?
Security officials also have their eyes on Belgium's seven nuclear reactors after reports last week that Salah Abdeslam, a major suspect in the Paris attacks who had been hiding in Brussels, had apparently been gathering information on German facilities. According to Belgian media, one jihadi spent three years working at the Doel nuclear site near Antwerp, home to Belgium's oldest reactors.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Kaghat
Political turbulence
Transport Minister Jacqueline Galant quit last week after allegations of lax security at the Brussels airport during her tenure, the first political casualty since the attacks. Following her resignation, Interior Minister Jan Jambon stoked fires by telling a Flemish paper that "a significant section of the Muslim community danced when attacks took place," comments he refused to retract.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D.Waem
Gathering place
Amid security concerns, economic fallout and political fracas, tourists and locals continue to gather at the Beursplein/Place de la Bourse one month later to reflect and remember the victims. Fresh flowers and new notes of support are placed over the old, as the city tries to carry on living.
Image: DW/M. Kübler
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In April, Belgium extradited Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the Paris and Brussels attacks.
Abrini was linked to Abdeslam when a video emerged of them stopping at a highway gas station on their way to the French capital.
Some 300 Belgian nationals have left the country to fight alongside militant groups in Syria, including the self-declared "Islamic State."