The victims of the 2016 terrorist attacks in Brussels have been awarded a total of over €18 million in compensation.
On 22 March 2016, two terrorist attacks were carried out by the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Brussels, at the Zaventem Airport and the Maelbeek metro station. A total of 32 people were killed and hundreds were left injured.
The verdict on the compensation process was finalised on Thursday, 31 October, with a substantial ruling of nearly 650 pages. However, Assize Court President Laurence Massart did not read the verdict aloud, leaving the total compensation amount unknown for a while.
Calculations by Belga, the Belgian news agency, now reveal that a total of €18,417,012.95 in compensation has been allocated to nearly 1,000 victims. This amount includes fees for expert investigations. For some victims, this is only a provisional compensation of one euro, so the final amount is expected to be higher. Additionally, these sums still need to be increased with interest accrued since 2016.
A total of 1,023 civil parties came forward. The largest compensation is awarded to the Belgian State, which will receive €2,601,386.13. The Brussels public transport company, STIB, also receives a significant sum of €1,547,839.52.
The sentencing part of the trial concluded on 15 September 2023. Osama Krayem, Bilal El Makhoukhi, and Oussama Atar received life sentences. Mohamed Abrini was sentenced to thirty years, and Ali El Haddad Asufi to twenty years. Salah Abdeslam and Sofien Ayari received no additional sentences, as they were already sentenced for the shooting in Driesstraat, Vorst. Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa received ten years in prison.
