Belgian court sentences eight men to prison for their involvement in the twin bomb blasts

A Belgian court, as reported by local media on Friday (September 15), has sentenced eight individuals involved in the twin bomb blasts that occurred in Belgium’s capital in 2016, resulting in the deaths of 32 people.

Six of the convicted individuals, found guilty of murder and attempted murder related to their roles in the bombings, received sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment.

Among the high-profile culprits found guilty of murder last month were French citizen Salah Abdeslam and Belgian-Moroccan Mohamed Abrini. Abdeslam, apprehended in Brussels four days before the attacks after fleeing Paris, received a sentence deemed sufficient by the Belgian court, and no further sentence was imposed. Abrini, who left the airport without detonating the bomb and testified to this fact during the proceedings, was found guilty of involvement in one of the teams of suicide bombers and received a 30-year jail term.

Krayem, a Swedish national accused of planning to be a second bomber on the Brussels metro, was found guilty of murder along with co-defendants Ali El Haddad Asufi and Bilal El Makhoukhi, each receiving a life sentence. Osama Atar, believed to have been killed in a Syrian airstrike, was convicted in absentia as the mastermind behind the attacks.

The terrorist attacks occurred on March 22, 2016, when two suicide bombings conducted by the Islamic State (IS) targeted Brussels. One attack took place at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and the other occurred on a train departing from the Maalbeek/Maelbeek metro station in central Brussels. These attacks resulted in 32 fatalities and more than 300 injuries.

The bombings were carried out near the headquarters of both NATO and the EU and were part of a series of IS-claimed attacks in Europe. The incidents caused extensive destruction, leaving numerous travelers and transport personnel severely wounded. Years after the attacks, the victims, their families, and first responders continue to grapple with the lasting trauma.

The trial, which began at the end of the previous year, was conducted under stringent security measures at the converted former NATO military alliance headquarters. The proceedings aimed to provide justice to those affected by the attacks and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.