What happened
The only suspect to be detained in connection with last week’s attack on Brussels was released on Monday, raising fresh criticism of Belgium’s security services. Fayçal Cheffou, a self-styled journalist, had been identified as the “man in the hat” – one of three men seen in CCTV footage taken at Brussels airport minutes before the bombings. Two of the men, Ibrahim el-Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, blew themselves up in the airport’s departure lounge; the third, whose explosive-packed trolley was safely detonated by security officials, fled the scene. A fourth man – Khalid el-Bakraoui, the brother of Ibrahim and, like him, a petty criminal known to police – blew himself up on the Metro. In total, 35 people were killed. Mohamed Abrini, who is also believed to have been…
