ISIS bomb maker behind Paris terror attacks key suspect in Brussels bombings
- 8 years ago
BRUSSELS — A suspected ISIS commander and bombmaker behind the Paris terror attacks has been named a key suspect in the Brussels bombings.
Najim Laachraoui, 25, grew up in the Brussels commune of Schaerbeek. He studied electromechanics and traveled to Syria in February of 2013 for ISIS training, reports the Telegraph.
In September of 2015, he and Paris terror suspects Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Belkaid used fake identities to go to Brussels from Budapest. They were stopped but eventually let through by police at the Austria-Hungary border.
Using the name Soufiane Kayal, Laachraoui rented a house in Schaerbeek, where he set up a bomb-making factory to make TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, an explosive nicknamed “Mother of Satan” due to its volatility that was used in the Paris attacks and 2005 London Underground bombings.
As Kayal, he also rented a property in the rural Belgian town of Auvelais, which served as a safehouse for the Paris attackers, according to the International Business Times.
On the night of the Bataclan shooting, the gunmen were in contact with Laachraoui and Belkaid, and sent them a message saying “We’ve left. We’re starting” just before the attack.
According to the Telegraph, police found Laachraoui’s DNA on two of the Paris suicide vests, and in the rented homes in Schaerbeek and Auvelais.
A manhunt is currently underway for the bomb maker, who is still on the run.
Najim Laachraoui, 25, grew up in the Brussels commune of Schaerbeek. He studied electromechanics and traveled to Syria in February of 2013 for ISIS training, reports the Telegraph.
In September of 2015, he and Paris terror suspects Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Belkaid used fake identities to go to Brussels from Budapest. They were stopped but eventually let through by police at the Austria-Hungary border.
Using the name Soufiane Kayal, Laachraoui rented a house in Schaerbeek, where he set up a bomb-making factory to make TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, an explosive nicknamed “Mother of Satan” due to its volatility that was used in the Paris attacks and 2005 London Underground bombings.
As Kayal, he also rented a property in the rural Belgian town of Auvelais, which served as a safehouse for the Paris attackers, according to the International Business Times.
On the night of the Bataclan shooting, the gunmen were in contact with Laachraoui and Belkaid, and sent them a message saying “We’ve left. We’re starting” just before the attack.
According to the Telegraph, police found Laachraoui’s DNA on two of the Paris suicide vests, and in the rented homes in Schaerbeek and Auvelais.
A manhunt is currently underway for the bomb maker, who is still on the run.