Belgium asks public to help in hunt for 3rd Brussels terror suspect

Belgian authorities have launched a fresh appeal to the public for information on the third suspect, the “man in the hat,” in the Brussels Airport suicide bombings that killed 16 people last month.

Belgian Federal Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said Thursday that authorities were appealing primarily to people who might have filmed or photographed the man. He was seen with two suicide bombers who died in the March 22 attacks. A subsequent explosion at Brussels’ Maalbeek subway station killed another 16 people the same day. The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

Photos and a video released by the prosecutors showed him leaving the airport on foot, walking to the nearby town of Zaventem and then into Brussels, where all traces of him were reportedly lost. The suspect was picked up on security cameras up to two hours after the attacks.

The suspect wore a white jacket but discarded it at some point, prosecutors said, adding that police were actively searching for that jacket which could contain “invaluable information.”

The appeal for public assistance more than two weeks after the suicide bombings indicated that investigators have hit a standstill.

https://youtu.be/eso1zW-eRqg

Authorities published the video on YouTube (in French) on Thursday, in which they illustrate the path the suspect took after fleeing the airport and display images and footage of where he was picked up by security cameras. The accompanying description of the video contains information in French and English.

According to the video reconstitution presented to reporters, the man left the Brussels Airport terminal at 7:58 a.m. before two other men he was with in the building exploded suitcases laden with explosives. He passed by a Sheraton hotel, walked through the town of Zaventem, discarded his jacket, and was seen on video footage at Meiser square in northeastern Brussels at 9:42 a.m.

Eight minutes later, his trail vanishes.