Following what prosecutors called a "terror attack" at Brussels' main train station, Belgian officials have said they identified the man allegedly responsible for the explosion. The suspect was the only casualty.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Mayo
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Brussels suspect dies after 'terror' blast
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Authorities said on Wednesday that they determined the identity of the suspected terrorist thought to have set off a small explosion at Brussels' main train station but would not immediately release his name, the Interior Ministry said. Investigators are working to establish further information on the suspect's background.
"The terrorist's identity is known. We have been able to identify him," Interior Minister Jan Jambon told RTBF radio television on Wednesday without giving further details.
Following the explosion on Tuesday, the suspect was shot dead by soldiers patrolling the station.
The train station reopened Wednesday morning, according to DW's Max Hofmann in Brussels.
Authorities later said that there were no other casualties in the incident.
Investigators are treating the incident as a "terrorist attack," said Erik Van Der Sypt, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office.
Person 'neutralized' at central station: DW's Georg Matthes from Brussels
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The attack took place around 9 p.m. local time (1900 UTC) when the historic city center was packed with tourists and locals. Police evacuated the station, Gare Centrale, as well as the nearby Grand Place. Belgian media reported that a number of other public places in the Belgian capital had also been cleared.
Prime Minister Charles Michel and his interior minister were monitoring developments from the national crisis center.
"Thanks to our soldiers, security forces and SNCB (rail company) personnel for their professionalism and their courage," Michel later wrote on Twitter.
Police wrote on Twitter that the situation was under control and urged the public to follow instructions. Gare Centrale and its surrounding roads remained closed through the night and into Wednesday.
'Wasn't exactly a big explosion'
National newspaper La Libre Belgique quoted the Brussels prosecutor's office as saying the suspect was wearing a backpack and an explosive belt.
A witness in the train station told Agence France Presse a man "cried 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great), and ... blew up a trolley."
Belgian media reported that the assailant is believed to have used a nail bomb, which failed to detonate completely.
Pictures reported to be of the explosion in Brussels' central station were widely circulated around the social media.Image: Reuters/Twitter/@remybonnaffe
"I was behind a wall when it exploded," the witness, railway sorting agent Nicolas Van Herrewegen, said. "I went down and alerted my colleagues to evacuate everyone. He (the suspect) was still around but after that we didn't see him."
"It wasn't exactly a big explosion but the impact was pretty big. People were running away."
Brussels has been on high alert since twin suicide bombings killed 32 people on the Brussels subway and airport in March 2016. The bombings were carried out by the same extremist cell behind the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people.
Since then, combat troops have been stationed at major public buildings and landmarks around Brussels. The Belgian capital is home to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union.
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.
