Mohamed Bakkali was arrested for questioning during November 2015 in Brussels. This was as part of the investigations into the Paris attacks. He had, in particular, rented a flat Schaerbeek where the El Bakraoui brothers stayed before the Brussels attacks. Per La Dernière Heure (DH), from 2012 onwards, he was on the radar of the federal police in Verviers. The latter may possibly have that year warned the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Bakkali’s radicalisation.
He frequented the Islamic Centre, Markaz Attawhid, in the Liège region. DH is reporting today that the police may have indicated that Bakkali had “particularly worrying contacts.” The publication says that the Federal Prosecutor’s Office apparently ignored this notification. However, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office indicates, “Mohamed Bakkali was never a closed case. This matter is still being investigated.”
The Brussels Times
