Brussels attack: 6 found guilty of terrorist murder in 2016 deaths of 32 people

Wrapping up the biggest trial in Belgium's judicial history, the chief judge listed the names of the victims before reading the decisions.

A jury on Tuesday found six people guilty of terrorist murder for extremist attacks at the Brussels airport and a busy subway station that killed 32 people in Belgium’s deadliest peacetime violence, part of a wave of attacks in Europe linked to the Islamic State group.

Among those convicted for their role in the 2016 Brussels suicide bombing plot was Salah Abdeslam, who already is serving a life sentence without parole in France over his role in attacks that hit Paris cafes, the Bataclan theater and France’s national stadium in 2015. Both the Paris and Brussels attacks were linked to the same IS network.

Wrapping up the biggest trial in Belgium’s judicial history, the chief judge listed the names of the victims before reading the decisions and explanations of the 12-person jury. The verdict was reported by Belgian media covering the trial from inside the courtroom, including public broadcaster RTBF, newspaper Le Soir and news websites HLN and Nieuwsblad.

Survivors and families of victims hoped the trial that started in earnest in December would help them work through the trauma of what happened on March 22, 2016, and to find closure.

In total, 10 defendants were on trial. Two brothers were acquitted of all charges. The other eight were convicted of participating in activities of a terrorist group; six of those eight were also convicted of terrorist murder.

Sentencing will be decided in a separate process, but not before September.

The morning rush hour attacks at Zavantem Airport, which is also known as Brussels Airport, and on the Brussels subway’s central commuter line deeply shook the city — home to the headquarters of the European Union and NATO — and put Belgians on edge. In addition to the 32 people killed, hundreds of others were wounded or suffered serious mental trauma.

The jury made a clear connection between the attacks and IS and its extremist ideology, and found that the attackers clearly wanted to intimidate Belgian society. Jurors also determined there was clear homicidal intention and premeditation, according to the media reports.