A 44-year-old Tunisian man has been apprehended and charged with “murder in a terrorist context” in connection with the Brussels terrorist attack on October 16, as announced by the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office on Thursday.
The suspect, identified as “Lamjed K.,” is believed to be complicit in supplying the automatic rifle used by the attacker, Abdesalem Lassoued, who was shot dead by Belgian police a day after the attack that claimed the lives of two Swedes.
The federal prosecutor’s office revealed that Lamjed K. was arrested in Tervuren, south of Brussels, on Wednesday and subsequently presented to the examining magistrate overseeing the investigation.
The magistrate decided to charge him with “murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context” and “participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
The investigation has highlighted a potential link between Lamjed K. and the weapon employed in the October 16 terrorist attack, which involved an AR-15 type firearm.
The assailant targeted Swedish football supporters in Brussels, killing two individuals and seriously injuring a third. The victims had gathered to support their national team playing against Belgium that evening.
In addition to the ongoing Belgian investigation, anti-terrorist probes were initiated in France on October 17, based on information provided by Belgian judicial authorities.
On Monday evening, two Tunisians residing in the Paris region were charged in Paris and placed in pre-trial detention in connection with the attack.
The investigation aims to establish their ties to the attacker, Abdesalem Lassoued, and further clarify the network involved in the tragic incident.”