Memorials, a moment of silence, and a "minute of noise" have been held to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Brussels terror attacks. The triple bomb blasts killed 32 people and wounded more than 300 others.
Image: Getty Images/E. Dunand
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Silence in Belgium one year after Brussels attacks
King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and Prime Minister Charles Michel gathered at Brussels' Zaventem airport, where two suicide bombers detonated their bombs in the departure hall during morning rush hour.
King Philippe laid a wreath in honor of the 16 people who lost their lives during the twin blasts. The names of the dead were read out, accompanied by a cello.
Besides the King, DW's Teri Schultz witnessed a Red Cross worker laying flowers at a memorial.
Airport employees and survivors of the attack also gathered to witness the unveiling of a memorial in honor of the victims.
Moment of silence and 'noise'
The royals led a second moment of silence at 9:11 a.m. local time at Maalbeek subway station where a third bomb exploded, killing another 16 people.
The moment of silence was followed by a "minute of noise" as people applauded and cars honked their horns in an act of defiance and solidarity. DW correspondent Georg Matthes filmed this commemoration in a Brussels subway.
More than 320 people were wounded in both attacks, but around 900 people now say they suffered physical or mental trauma due to the attacks.
Later on Wednesday, the King and Queen will inaugurate a new steel memorial where the European Union institutions are based in Brussels - located close to Maalbeek metro station.
The bombings were carried out by Belgian nationals, who detonated explosives they had been carrying in large suitcases.
Three attackers died in the bombings. Another man - now in custody - has confessed to being involved.
The so-called "Islamic State" extremist group claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Children from schools in Molenbeek, the largely Muslim neighborhood in Brussels where many of the attackers came from, will meet with victims of the attacks in a show of solidarity.
rs/se (AP, AFP, dpa)
Key figures in Brussels attacks
Belgium this week marks the first anniversary of the Islamic State attacks on a metro station and the airport in Brussels. DW takes a look at the key figures involved in the attacks, which left 32 people dead.
Image: Getty Images/C. Furlong
Airport bombing
Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui blew themselves up in the departure hall of Zaventem airport shortly after 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT) early on March 22 last year. Bakraoui, 29, was known to the authorities after attempting to travel to Syria in 2015. Laachraoui, 24, had previously fought in Syria. He is also believed to be the bomb-maker for the November 2015 Paris attacks.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/Belgian Federal Police
Metro station attack
Less than an hour later, another blast ripped through Maelbeek metro station in the city centre, close to several EU institutions. Ibrahim's 27-year-old brother, Khalid El Bakraoui, was behind the attack. Khalid is also suspected of having helped Laachraoui find safe houses for other jihadists.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Interpol
'Man in the hat'
Mohamed Abrini, widely known as the 'Man in the hat' failed to detonate his suicide bomb at the airport. He was identified later from the video footage of the attack. Abrini fled on foot back to central Brussels where he disappeared. The 32-year-old, who grew up in the gritty Molenbeek district of Brussels, was a childhood friend of Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the Paris jihadist team.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Belga/E. Lalmand
Another failed attempt
Lawyer Vincent Lurquin, representing Osama Krayem, talks to the press at the appearance of Mohamed Abrini. Krayem, 24, also failed to go through with his suicide attack. He was seen with Khalid El Bakraoui at a metro station carrying huge backpacks. Krayem hid himself among refugees to reach Europe from Syria in 2015. Both Abrini and Krayem were arrested in Brussels in early April.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Belga Photo/D. Waem
More arrests
Belgian authorities carried out extensive raids in the aftermath of the attacks and detained several people on suspicion of helping prepare the metro and airport attacks. Smail Farisi, 32, and Bilal El Makhoukhi, 28, still detained, are believed to be the most important figures. Farisi is said to have set up a safe house for the metro attack while Makhoukhi has been linked to Ibrahim El Bakraoui.
Image: Reuters/V. Kessler
Who actually gave the order?
Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw believes the order for the attacks in Brussels came from a high-ranking Islamic State official. Investigators have identified Osama Atar, a Belgian-Moroccan extremist, as the main suspect. Atar has served time in US prisons in Iraq. A laptop found near the safehouse used for the airport attack shows that the jihadists had been in close contact with Atar.
