BRUSSELS, March 24 (UPI) — Belgian officials believe a fifth suspect was involved in the Islamic State bombings in Brussels that killed at least 31 people earlier this week.
Police said a second person was involved in the train bombing because surveillance footage shows someone walking next to a key suspect while holding a large bag.
Two Belgian brothers were identified by authorities earlier Wednesday as two suspected suicide bombers who set off explosives in the Belgian capital Tuesday. Khalid el-Bakraoui is accused of bombing the Maelbeek subway station while his brother, Ibrahim, is accused of bombing the Zaventem International Airport along with Najim Laachraoui, who is believed to have been involved in the Islamic State’s coordinated attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 — reportedly as a bomb maker.
Authorities said Laachraoui and the el-Bakraoui brothers died in the suicide attacks. The fourth suspect seen in airport footage fled the scene and is at large. It is unclear if the fifth suspect seen at the subway station died in that attack or if he is at large. Surveillance footage or images of the fifth suspect have yet to be released.
A manhunt was launched for Laachraoui last week after his DNA was found in safehouses used by suspected Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam, who said on Thursday he would not be seeking to fight extradition from Belgium to France. Abdeslam has been charged for his involvement in the November terror attacks in Paris that left 130 dead.
Sven Mary, Abdeslam’s lawyer in Belgium, said his client “wishes to leave for France as quickly as possible” so he could “explain himself in France.”
Officials said that of the nearly 300 people who were injured in the Brussels bombings, about 60 are in critical condition. The death toll is expected to increase.
