The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is sticking to its initial submissions regarding the suspects charged with involvement in the 2016 Brussels attacks that left 32 people dead, Spokesman Eric Van der Sypt said on Sunday.
Confirming information carried by La Dernière Heure, Van der Sypt said the prosecution would thus move to have eight of the defendants tried in the criminal court and the two others in the correctional court, as it had originally asked the Chamber of the Council of Brussels.
In January, the Chamber had turned down the prosecution’s request, ruling that all the suspects should be tried in the criminal court because the crimes of which they are accused are interconnected and only the criminal court is authorised to hear murder cases.
The defendants will be tried in the second half of 2022.
The Prosecutor’s Office wants Salah Abdeslam, Oussama Atar, Mohamed Abrini, Sofien Ayari, Osama Krayem, Ali El Haddad Asufi, Bilal El Makhoukhi and Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa to stand trial in the criminal court for murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context, and for belonging to a terrorist group.
On the other hand, it feels the Farisi brothers, Smail and Ibrahim, should be tried in the correctional court on the sole charge of participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
The Brusssels Times
