Doubts over competence of Brussels intelligence service
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.
Before the Paris attacks, one agency, Surete de l’Etat, reportedly had 600 people to monitor 900 persons of interests. A string of jihadi plotters have had links to Molenbeek, and interior minister, Jan Jambon, admitted in November that authorities did not have control there.
Belgium’s ambassador to Britain, Guy Trouveroy, rejected claims the suburb had been abandoned by the authorities, but admitted: “We had to move up to the challenge and we went maybe pace by pace, haphazardly. It is not easy. These are professionals and they know how to put up commando operations.” The terror-threat level was also only raised to its maximum on Tuesday, in the wake of the atrocities at Brussels airport and on the Metro system.
