Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Defense arguments in the trial over the 2016 Brussels terror attacks will begin on Tuesday. A verdict is expected to be issued during next July in the trial , which lasted for several months , and was dubbed by the media in Brussels as the " trial of the century " due to the files , defendants , accusations and victims it contained .
Ten defendants have been on trial in Belgium since December 2022 in connection with the 2016 bombings at Brussels Airport and Malbec metro station. The attacks killed 36 people and injured about 340.
And according to what the Belgian Sons Agency reported on Monday, Salah Abdel Salam's defense team will start tomorrow, Tuesday, followed by Ali Al-Haddad Asoufi's lawyers during the next day's session, "Wednesday". Starting Thursday, Bilal Al-Mukhoukhi's defense will present his case over two days.
The defense of Mohamed Abrini and Osama Karim will speak on Tuesday, June 27th. The defense team for Sufian Ayari will speak on the next day "Wednesday" and the lawyers for Hervé Baingana Muherwa will defend him on Thursday. On Friday, the court will hear the defense of Ismail Farsi.

A verdict is expected in July
On Monday, July 3, the court will hear the defense of Ibrahim Farsi, whose acquittal the prosecution is calling for. Appeals are expected to begin the same day, followed by any closing statements by the defendants. The court will then discuss the issue of guilt.
A verdict is expected later in July and the court will reconvene in September to discuss the verdict.
On June 6, the prosecution requested that eight of the ten defendants be found guilty of terrorist murder and attempted murder. The Public Prosecutor demanded that Ismail Farsi be convicted only of participating in a terrorist group and that his brother, Ibrahim Farsi, be acquitted.
According to the prosecution, Osama Attar, Mohamed Abrini, Osama Karim, Salah Abd al-Salam, Sufian al-Ayari, Ali al-Haddad Asoufi, Bilal al-Mukhoukhi and Irvi Bainqana Mohaira provided, in their own way and with their full knowledge of the facts, basic support. attacks.

36 counts of murder
The prosecution is also seeking to convict nine of the defendants on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. For Osama Attar, who is believed to have died in Syria and is being tried in absentia, the prosecution is seeking to convict him of leading a terrorist group. Atar allegedly coordinated the attacks from Syria.
The prosecution also seeks to convict eight defendants on 36 counts of murder instead of 32 counts. They demanded that charges of attempted murder be changed to murder for four victims who died in the months and years following the attacks.