A man suspected of terrorism and war crimes was arrested in Hasselt on Wednesday, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced in a press release. The suspect is to appear before the council chamber in Mechelen on Friday.
On Wednesday, an investigating judge specialised in terrorism cases called for an arrest warrant for the 43-year-old man who is believed to have been involved with an al-Qaeda terrorist cell.
The group is partly responsible for several bombings in the Green Zone of Baghdad (Iraq) in 2009 and 2010, which caused the deaths of at least 376 people and injured over 2,300. The attacks were allegedly carried out using car bombs against, among others, government buildings.
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The suspect, born in Iraq and who has lived in Belgium for 15 years, has been charged by the investigating judge with "several murders with terrorist intent, participation in the activities of a terrorist group, war crimes and crimes against humanity", the statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office read.
The man will appear before the council chamber in Mechelen on Friday, which will decide whether he will be further detained.
