March 22, 2016
On the morning of March 22, 2016, coordinated attacks struck two heavily used civilian transport locations in Belgium: Brussels Airport in Zaventem and Maelbeek metro station in the capital. The attacks killed and injured people from multiple countries and brought public transport and aviation around Brussels to an emergency halt.
For years, the commonly cited immediate death toll was 32. During the 2023 assize trial, the court formally added three people who died later from consequences linked to the attacks. The court-recognized total therefore became 35 deaths. Sources also report hundreds of injured people; exact injury counts vary depending on the medical and legal definition used.
The investigation
Belgian investigators linked the attacks to a broader jihadist network that also overlapped with the organization behind the November 2015 attacks in Paris. Several people who carried out the Brussels attacks died at the scenes, while investigators pursued surviving members, facilitators and alleged organizers.
This case file does not describe the construction or functioning of the devices used. For criminal responsibility, the key issue was the defendants' participation in the organization, preparation and support of the attacks rather than technical mechanics.
The largest assize trial in Belgium
The main trial opened in December 2022 and continued for roughly seven months before a jury began deliberating. Ten defendants were tried. The proceedings distinguished carefully between those accused of terrorist murder and attempted murder, those accused only of participation in a terrorist organization and those for whom the evidence was found insufficient.
On July 25, 2023, six defendants — Oussama Atar, Mohamed Abrini, Osama Krayem, Salah Abdeslam, Ali El Haddad Asufi and Bilal El Makhoukhi — were found guilty of terrorist murder and attempted murder. Eight defendants in total were convicted of participation in a terrorist organization. Smail and Ibrahim Farisi were acquitted of all charges.
Different findings for different defendants
The verdict did not treat every defendant as equally responsible. Sofien Ayari and Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa were convicted of participation in a terrorist organization but not of terrorist murder. The Farisi brothers were fully acquitted. That distinction is important because proximity to suspects or post-event conduct did not automatically establish knowledge of the attack plan.
Oussama Atar was tried in absentia. Authorities believed he had died in Syria or Iraq, but the 2023 trial proceeded on the evidence available. The court found him guilty as a leading figure in the network.
Sentences
On September 15, 2023, the court imposed sentences. Oussama Atar, Bilal El Makhoukhi and Osama Krayem received life imprisonment. Mohamed Abrini received 30 years, Ali El Haddad Asufi 20 years and Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa 10 years.
Salah Abdeslam and Sofien Ayari received no additional prison term in this case because the court took account of severe sentences already imposed for related crimes, including the Paris attacks and an earlier Brussels shooting. Their convictions in the Brussels case nevertheless remained part of the judgment.
Judgments became final
The parties had the opportunity to seek review before Belgium's Court of Cassation. According to Belga, no cassation appeals were filed by the deadline of October 2, 2023. The assize court's findings of guilt, acquittals and sentences therefore became final.
The case is classified as solved/adjudicated because the principal surviving defendants brought to trial received final judicial outcomes. That classification does not imply that every person ever suspected of involvement was prosecuted or that every intelligence question surrounding the network has been answered.
Timeline
March 22, 2016: coordinated attacks strike Brussels Airport and Maelbeek metro station.
2016–2022: Belgian and international investigations pursue surviving members and facilitators connected to the network.
December 2022: the main Brussels assize trial begins.
July 25, 2023: the jury returns verdicts: six defendants are found guilty of terrorist murder and attempted murder, eight are convicted of terrorist-group participation and two are fully acquitted.
September 15, 2023: sentences are imposed, including three life terms.
October 2, 2023: the appeal deadline passes without cassation appeals, making the judgments final.
Current status
The 2023 judgments are final. The final court-recognized death toll is 35. Multiple defendants were convicted of terrorist murder, attempted murder and/or participation in a terrorist organization, while other defendants were partly or fully acquitted according to the evidence against them.