The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has declined commenting on information provided by the RTL-TVI television network, according to which Yassine Atar was in possession of the key to the hideout at rue Henri Bergé in Schaerbeek and that traces of nitroglycerine were found on his body. “In the interest of the investigation, we will not issue any comments,” stated the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
Yassine Atar is the brother of Oussama, presumed to be the mastermind of the Brussels attacks, and the cousin of the Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui brothers, who exploded themselves at Brussels Airport and at the Maelbeek subway station. It seems that at the time of his arrest on March 27th, investigators discovered that he had the key to a room at 86 rue Henri Bergé in Schaerbeek, where the explosives belts employed in the Paris attacks had been assembled. The residence also served as a hideout for Salah Abdeslam for several weeks. It appears that traces of nitroglycerine were also found on Yassine Atar.
This last point was challenged by Atar’s family in a report which appeared August 20th in the De Morgen daily. Asma Atar, Yassine’s sister, explained that her brother suffered from a skin disease since childhood and used a special dermatological shampoo. A counter-examination carried out at the request of Yassine Atar’s defence determined that the product, considered an explosive, was an element of this shampoo. According to the counter-investigation, this ingredient was found on Yassine Atar’s skin in such a small quantity that it should not be a matter for discussion.
(Source: Belga)
