2016 Brussels bombings

On 22 March 2016, two coordinated attacks happened in and near Brussels, Belgium. These attacks were carried out by the Islamic State. Two people set off bombs at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and another bomb went off on a train leaving the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station in the city's European Quarter. Thirty-two people sadly lost their lives, and more than 300 were hurt. Three people who set off the bombs also died. One person at the airport and another on the train ran away without using their bombs.

The people who did this were part of a group that had been involved in earlier attacks in Paris in November 2015. The attacks happened just after police had conducted several searches looking for this group. In response, the Belgian Government announced three days of national mourning. These attacks were the worst in Belgium since World War II.

In December 2022, ten men were put on trial for their part in these attacks. Six were found guilty of serious crimes related to the attacks, and two were found guilty of supporting terrorist activities.

Background

Belgium was involved in military actions against a group called the Islamic State during the War in Iraq. In September 2014, Belgium sent six F-16 planes to help a US-led group.

Belgium had more of its people fighting with these groups compared to other Western European countries. By January 2015, around 440 Belgians had gone to Syria and Iraq. Some believe Belgium's security systems were not strong enough, which may have helped these groups grow. Experts think policy failures, rather than intelligence mistakes, may have led to the attacks.

Before the bombings, Belgium had seen several attacks linked to these groups. In May 2014, a gunman attacked the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, killing four people. In January 2015, police stopped a planned attack and two suspects were killed in Verviers. In August 2015, a terrorist shot and injured a passenger on a train from Amsterdam to Paris before being stopped by others.

The November 2015 attacks in Paris were planned from Belgium, and Brussels was closed for five days while police searched for suspects. Just days before the Brussels bombings, one of the Paris attack suspects, Salah Abdeslam, was caught in Brussels. Some believe his arrest may have led to the bombings happening sooner. Authorities knew about possible extremist actions in Europe but did not expect the size of the attack.

Attacks

On March 22, 2016, there were two big attacks in Brussels, Belgium. The attacks were done by a group called the Islamic State.

The first attack happened at Brussels Airport. Two people brought big suitcases full of dangerous materials and set them off in the place where people check in for their flights. The second attack happened just over an hour later at a train station called Maelbeek. One person set off a bomb there while the train was leaving the station.

These attacks were very sad and caused many people to be hurt or lose their lives. The city had to close down public transport and cancel some train journeys while they made sure everyone was safe.

Victims

Thirty-two people were killed and over 300 were injured in the attacks. Sixteen people died at the airport, and sixteen more died at the metro station. These attacks were the worst in Belgium since World War II.

Most of the victims were from Belgium, but people from many other countries were also affected, including the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, China, India, and Peru. The victims ranged in age from 20 to 79 years old.

A retired diplomat named André Adam, who had served as Belgium’s representative to the United Nations and as Ambassador to the United States, was among those who died at the airport.

Perpetrators

See also: Brussels ISIL terror cell

Five people took bombs to the airport and metro station. Three of them died when they set off their bombs, and two others were caught by police later. All five were also part of planning earlier attacks in Paris.

The attackers included brothers who were wanted for crimes and had traveled to places where dangerous groups operated. After the attacks, police found important clues that helped them understand what happened and catch the remaining attackers.

Aftermath

The group responsible for the attacks said Belgium was targeted because it was part of a group working against them.

After the attacks, police searched many places in Belgium and other countries made their security stronger.

Airplanes stopped flying to Brussels Airport for twelve days. When flights started again, there were more security checks. All buses and trains in Brussels stopped for a while. The train station where one of the bombs went off started working again about a month later.

Belgium made its warning about possible attacks very high for a short time. The government used more soldiers to protect important places. Checks were done at borders between Belgium and France. The two nuclear power plants in Belgium were partly emptied as a safety step.

The government announced three days of sadness, and people stood quiet for one minute to honor those who were hurt or lost in the attacks. Some people got upset at a memorial and police had to help calm them down.

Leaders in Brussels from different religions met to support each other and work against extreme ideas. The area where some of the people who did the attacks lived had some mosques closed for using angry words. Some groups that help people were looked at because they might have been involved in wrong doing.

Two groups were created to help people affected by the attacks.

Reactions

Main article: Reactions to the 2016 Brussels bombings

After the attacks on 22 March 2016, King Philippe spoke to the nation on television. The next day, he and Queen Mathilde visited the airport and some injured people in the hospital.

Many famous buildings around the world were lit up in the colors of the Belgian flag. These included the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, and the Trevi Fountain in Rome. In New York City, the One World Trade Center was lit up, while the Empire State Building’s spire stayed dark.

On social media, the hashtag #JeSuisBruxelles (#IamBrussels) became very popular, along with images of the Belgian comic character Tintin. Other hashtags like #ikwilhelpen (#Iwanttohelp) and #PorteOuverte (#Opendoor) were used by people in Brussels offering help and shelter to those in need. Facebook also turned on its Safety Check feature to help people find out if their loved ones were safe.

2014 murder

It is believed that the El-Bakraoui brothers were behind a mystery murder in 2014. An older man was shot while walking home from a café in the Jette area of Brussels. Later, others told investigators that the brothers had done this to learn what it felt like to take someone's life. In 2020, the man's widow was informed that it was almost certain the brothers were responsible, even though the case was officially closed.

Parliamentary inquiry

On April 14, 2016, Belgium’s government created a special group to study the terrorist attacks and why the country’s safety teams couldn’t stop them. This group looked at how the country helped people after the attacks, how some people in Belgium started to support harmful ideas, and how the safety teams were organized.

The group found several problems. They noticed that different parts of the safety teams didn’t work well together. There were also issues with sharing important messages between teams in Belgium and other countries. Some teams didn’t have enough money or support to stop harmful activities before they happened. The group suggested that safety teams need to get better at sharing information and working together more closely.

Trial

In December 2022, ten men faced a court in Brussels for their roles in the bombings. One of them, Oussama Atar, was tried even though he was thought to be in another country. The nine people in court were charged with being part of a group that supports harmful actions and with causing harm to others. Six of them had already been found responsible for harmful actions in another court case.

The trial began later than planned because of disagreements about where the people would sit in the courtroom. There were also times when the trial stopped because the people in the case did not want to be searched before going to court.

In July 2023, the court made its decisions. Six of the people were found responsible for causing harm to others. Two others were found responsible for being part of the group but not for causing harm. The last two were found not responsible for anything.

Later, the court decided on punishments. Three people received the longest possible punishment, while others received shorter times in a special facility. Two people did not get new punishments because they had already been punished for other harmful actions in the past.

Memorialization

After the attacks, the people of Brussels created memorials to remember those who were lost. In the days following the event, people gathered at the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, writing messages on the pavement and leaving items like mugs and hats as reminders of their feelings.

The city of Brussels collected these memories and kept some of the items left behind. In November 2016, a sculpture called the Flame of Hope was placed in Molenbeek to honor the victims. There are also plaques at Brussels Airport and a garden nearby that lists the people who were lost there.

A special monument was unveiled near Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat to remember everyone affected. In a forest, 32 birch trees were planted, each representing a person who was lost, creating a quiet space for reflection. In the metro station where one of the attacks happened, a mural called The Olive Tree was made to remember those who were lost there.