Belgian Authorities Make Key Arrests in Brussels, Paris Attacks
AP – Belgian authorities say several arrests have been made in relation to the Brussels attacks, one day after they called on the public to help look for a key suspect who was involved in the March 22 bloodshed that killed 32 people.
The prosecutor’s office said Friday it made “several arrests” but refused to provide more information.
Belgian broadcaster VRT, citing sources it did not identify, said Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini was among those arrested.
Abrini is the last identified suspect still at large from the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris which killed 130 people. He is a 31-year-old Belgian petty criminal and is believed to have traveled early last summer to Syria where his younger brother died in 2014 in the Islamic State group’s notorious francophone brigade.
Although a couple arrests might not seem like much in a case that’s left 35 dead and over 300 injured, it’s important. For those of us in Boston, we remember how terrifying those 4 days were following the marathon bombing. Not knowing who did it. Not knowing where they were. Not knowing if they’d strike again. It was awful.
With the Paris attacks in November and the Brussels attacks last month (the cities are just 200 miles apart), people have been on high alert. “The man in the hat” has knowingly been on the loose since the March 22nd airport attack. Yesterday police released new footage of the suspected terrorist just hours after the bombings:
Belgian police have released a new video of the Brussels airport suspect https://t.co/2QxdVMlhS7 pic.twitter.com/CTIis9UhGF
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 7, 2016
Just earlier, police confirmed the last at-large Paris suspect is among those arrested.
French police officials confirm Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini has been arrested in Belgium. https://t.co/qVCao6STc3
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 8, 2016
This is GREAT news for both Paris and Brussels. If true, this significantly diminishes the chances of a followup attack in either city and allows the waffle-making geniuses of Belgium and the prostitutionless people of France to rest a bit easier.
Here’s to these heroes and their cool color schemes:
