Doubts over competence of Brussels intelligence service

Questions have been raised about the capability of the Belgian police and intelligence services, in the wake of the atrocities in Brussels.

Salah Abdeslam, one of the suspected plotters behind the November Paris attacks, in which 130 people died, hid undetected in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, where he grew up. One apartment where his fingerprint was found was rented by Khalid El Bakraoui, who, with his brother, Brahim, is believed to have carried out the suicide attacks in Brussels on Tuesday.

The flat was raided last week and a cache of weapons found. A massive manhunt is under way for Najim Laachraoui, whose DNA was found on explosive belts at the Bataclan theatre and the Stade de France, following the killings in the French capital, and who was caught on CCTV at Brussels airport on Tuesday. The country’s intelligence services have faced criticism that they are under-resourced and lack connections within the Muslim community.