The arrest warrant was issued when the Belgian police connected him to one of the hideout apartments used in the Paris attacks.
Advertisement
He said the family has not yet been officially informed of Najim Laachraoui’s death as one of the three suspected suicide bombers who attacked the Brussels airport and subway on Tuesday, killing 31 people and wounding 270.
That appeared to be a reference to Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, who is reportedly linked to Bakraoui, and who is in custody in Belgium after being captured last week. His lawyer, who had initially vowed to fight extradition, said Abdeslam now wants to be sent to France as soon as possible.
Investigators in Belgium identified El Bakraoui as one of the bombers in the terrorist attacks on Tuesday that left more than 30 people dead in Brussels.
“The identification is still ongoing”, he said, referring to man caught on CCTV entering Maelbeek station with presumed bomber Khalid El Bakraoui. Police are seeking a second suspect seen talking to him shortly before he boarded the carriage to blow himself up.
Prosecutors did not immediately respond to the reports.
The 10 hours of footage, which included images of a local bus, was discovered in the Brussels home of another ISIS suspect that police raided after the November 13 attacks in Paris. He was shot in the leg during his arrest. His office later said he was detained in June and deported in July.
Abdeslam minimises his role in the Paris attacks which he blames on Abdehamid Abaaoud, the presumed ringleader who was killed by French police the following week, and his older brother Brahim.
The Post notes that the bombs that struck Ankara and Brussels were claimed by different groups – the Ankara attack by a splinter group of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and Brussels by the Islamic State.
Michel told federal and regional parliaments on Thursday that Belgian authorities “will do absolutely everything to shed light on the attacks”.
Belgium is holding three days of national mourning.
Advertisement
Security guards secure Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday following the suicide attacks in Belgium. Meanwhile Brussels airport announced it will remain closed to passenger flights for at least another day, right up to the start of the busy Easter weekend.
