The El Bakraoui Brothers Identified as Perpetrators of Brussels Suicide Attacks

Belgian media reported on Wednesday morning, April 4, that the El Bakraoui brothers, who were previously under police surveillance, are among those who carried out suicide attacks at Brussels International Airport and the city's metro the previous day. Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui are the names of these two brothers, who, according to Belgian police, were previously accused of organized crimes but had no connection to terrorist activities. One of the brothers detonated himself at the airport, while the other did so in the central metro. Khalid, 27, had been sentenced to five years in prison in 2011 for car theft and possession of a Kalashnikov. Ibrahim, 30, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2010 for shooting at a police officer with a Kalashnikov. The Belgian police released images of three individuals at the airport and stated that they are likely linked to the airport bombing. One of these individuals, wearing a light jacket, has not yet been identified, and police have launched a large-scale operation to apprehend him. Some reports suggest he is likely Najim Laachraoui, 24, an associate of Salah Abdeslam, who was identified by police just one day before the explosions occurred. According to AFP, Khalid El Bakraoui had previously rented an apartment in the Forest neighborhood of Brussels under an alias. This apartment was the same one that Belgian police raided in a counter-terrorism operation last week, where they found Salah Abdeslam's fingerprints. Speculations suggest that the two brothers were connected to Salah Abdeslam, the mastermind of the Paris attacks, who was arrested on Friday. Khalid was also involved in renting another apartment in the Charleroi neighborhood of Brussels, where Abdeslam and other jihadists residing in Brussels planned the Paris attacks in November. On Wednesday, the Belgian police issued a statement asking anyone with more information about the two brothers to come forward. Following the revelation of the attackers' identities at Brussels airport, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated that there is an immediate need to increase controls at the external borders of the European Union. Several explosions targeted Brussels International Airport and the metro the previous day. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks just hours after they occurred. According to the Belgian Ministry of Health, the explosions resulted in 31 deaths and 260 injuries. In this context, the Belgian Prime Minister stated: 'What we feared has come to pass.' Explosives and an ISIS flag were discovered during a house search in Brussels. Iran condemned the deadly attacks in Brussels. The death toll from the Brussels attacks has risen; the U.S. has issued a travel warning for Europe. Ted Cruz called for police presence in Muslim neighborhoods. The game-changing nature of 'proxy wars' continues; a war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph discusses the responsibility of the opposition and the potential radicalization of Iranian society. The last representative of Mossad in Tehran passed away amid the Iran crisis. Trump stated: 'I hope there will be no need for further action regarding Iran; they were killing people indiscriminately.' The shadow of war looms over Tehran; 'Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran.' Trump stated that if the Islamic Republic attempts to assassinate him, 'it will be wiped off the face of the earth.' Trump emphasized 'stopping executions in Iran': 'We do not know what will happen in the future.'