A jury in Belgium is set to begin deliberations on a verdict in a case involving ten men accused of participating in the suicide bombings at Brussels Airport and the city’s metro in 2016, claims for which the Islamic State has taken responsibility. This will conclude the largest trial in the country.
The defendants will have a final opportunity to speak before the jury, responding to over 300 questions, before entering a six-week period of complete isolation to reach a decision in an unprecedented move in Belgium.
Six of these defendants were convicted in June 2022 for their involvement in the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris in November 2015, which resulted in 130 fatalities. Eight of them, including the main suspect in the Paris trial, Salah Abdeslam, face charges of murder and attempted murder related to terrorism, in addition to participation in terrorist group activities.
Among the defendants is also an individual believed to have been killed in Syria, who is being tried in absentia.
The trial was held at the former NATO headquarters, with costs estimated at least €35 million ($37.97 million), and it lasted seven months, during which around a thousand people were heard, highlighting the extensive impact of the attacks.
The Brussels bombings resulted in the deaths of 15 men and 17 women from over ten countries, reflecting the international presence in a city that hosts institutions of the European Union and NATO. Additionally, more than 300 people were injured.
