Brussels ‘Man in the Hat’ Says Terrorists Hoped To Target Israel Flight
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
The alleged Brussels bomber nicknamed the “man in the hat” said one of the original targets in the attacks that killed 32 was the departure area for flights to Tel Aviv.
Departure areas for flights to the United States and Russia also were targeted in the March 22 attack, Mohamed Abrini reportedly told a Belgian court, according to reports Thursday by the French television network BFM, the French news agency AFP reported. Airport bomber Ibrahim el Bakraoui selected the targets, he also said.
A second bombing occurred an hour after the attack at the Zaventem Airport. In addition to the 32 killed, hundreds were injured.
Abrini, who was arrested in Brussels on April 8, also is wanted in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed 130.
He is called the “man in the hat” due to airport surveillance footage that shows him next to the two bombers at the airport.
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