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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Brussels Mayor: 'No More Normal' After Attacks

The Mayor of Brussels has said there is "no such thing as normal anymore" after two attacks on the city's transport network left 32 victims dead.
Yvan Mayeur made his comments after meeting Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, which itself suffered two terror attacks last year.
When he was asked if life in Brussels was returning to normal, Mr Mayeur said: "There's no such thing as normal anymore. That's a concept we have to revisit."
The pair pledged solidarity as Belgium begins "a long and painful process of grieving and reconstruction" as it tries to recover.
The CEO of Brussels Zaventem Airport, where two bombers detonated suicide vests at the counter of American Airlines last week, said it would take months before operations were back to normal.
Hundreds of volunteer staff took part in a test run to determine if the airport was ready to resume some flights on Wednesday but it was later decided it was too dangerous.
Arnaud Feist told Le Soir: "Even if the building structures are intact, everything will have to be rebuilt. Air conditioning... check-in counters... it will take months."
On Monday, Belgian police released the only suspect yet to be charged with murder over the attacks, due to a lack of evidence.
Faisal Cheffou, who had been suspected of being in video footage with two other bombers, told police he was at home at the time.
RTL quoted his lawyer as saying police had been able to prove he received several phone calls at his address when the bombers were at the airport.
Questions are continuing to be asked about whether Belgian security services could have done more to prevent the attacks.
emerged on Tuesday the FBI sent Dutch police information about two of the bombers, Ibrahim and Khalid el Bakraoui, six days before the blasts.
Khalid blew himself up at the Maalbeek metro station, killing at least 20 people and injuring scores more.
His brother Ibrahim blew himself up at Brussels' Zaventem Airport, along with his accomplice along with Najim Laachraoui, killing at least 11 people.
The Belgians are still hunting the fourth bomber, as links continue to emerge between the Brussels bombers and those who carried out the attacks in Paris in November.
Laachraoui's DNA was found on some of the explosives used in Paris. Khalid is, meanwhile, believed to have rented a property linked to Paris prime suspect Salah Abdeslam.
Abdeslam, who is suspected of fleeing the Paris attacks after his suicide belt failed to detonate, was arrested in Brussels on 18 March just metres from his family home after four months on the run.

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