Belgian Media: Arrest of Suspect Linked to Brussels Attacks

Media reports have confirmed the arrest of Najm al-Ashrawi, a suspect involved in the Brussels attacks. According to the Belgian newspaper Dernière Heure and the site Politico, this individual, whose name was revealed early Wednesday, was arrested in the Anderlecht area of Brussels. Najm al-Ashrawi is also accused of having a role in the terrorist attacks in Paris in November. The Belgian police published images of three individuals at the airport the previous day, stating that they were likely connected to the airport bombing. One of these individuals (Najm al-Ashrawi), who was alongside two other suspects at the airport, was reportedly arrested on Wednesday. According to published reports, Najm al-Ashrawi, 24, is an associate of Salah Abdeslam, and the police had identified him just a day before the explosions occurred. According to Figaro, Najm al-Ashrawi is "accused of involvement in a terrorist operation in Cairo in 2009 that resulted in the death of a Frenchman." Additionally, on Wednesday, the identities of two suicide bombers at the airport and subway in Belgium were revealed, said to be brothers named Khalid and Ibrahim Bakraoui. Khalid and Ibrahim Bakraoui were previously accused of organized crime but had no known ties to terrorist activities. One of the brothers detonated himself at the airport, while the other did so in the central subway. On Tuesday, three explosions targeted Brussels International Airport and the subway. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks hours after they occurred. According to the Belgian Ministry of Health, the attacks on Tuesday at the airport and subway left at least 34 dead and around two hundred injured.