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Belgium observed a somber milestone on Sunday as the nation commemorated the 10th anniversary of the tragic jihadist bombings in Brussels, an event that has left an indelible mark on the country. Authorities assert that the horror of that day significantly heightened awareness and efforts in intelligence and counterterrorism.
On March 22, 2016, the Islamic State group orchestrated attacks that resulted in the deaths of 32 individuals and injuries to over 300, marking the deadliest peacetime atrocity in Belgium’s history.
King Philippe addressed the crowd gathered at a monument dedicated to the victims, stating, “Our country will never forget.” He emphasized, “We did not give in to fear, we did not give in to division.” The King and Queen Mathilde, alongside Prime Minister Bart de Wever, listened intently as survivors recounted the terrifying events of that fateful morning.
The day of remembrance began solemnly at Brussels Airport in Zaventem at 8:00 am (0700 GMT), precisely when the suicide bombers initiated their assault. The commemoration moved an hour later to Maelbeek metro station, another site of the coordinated attacks that shook the Belgian capital, eventually reaching its conclusion at the monument honoring the victims.
The country’s remembrance ceremonies began earlier Sunday at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, at 8:00 am (0700 GMT), the same time the suicide bombers struck.
Proceedings continued an hour later at the Maelbeek metro station, also targeted in the coordinated suicide blasts that ripped through the Belgian capital, before culminating at the victims’ monument.
“Telling you that living this life is easy would be a lie. I wake up every day with the memories of horror. I look at my body that has been burnt, bruised and torn apart,” said Beatrice de Lavalette, who lost her legs at the airport.
“Every day, I remember lying on this floor bleeding out, and in that moment I remember telling myself: ‘This is not my time. I will not die here,’” said Lavalette, who became a Paralympic horse rider after the tragedy.
The Brussels attacks were the work of the same jihadist cell that struck Paris months earlier, on November 13, 2015, killing 130 people.
Having retreated to Brussels safe houses, the jihadists mounted a hastily organised attack in the days after the March 18 arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the Paris attack group.
On March 22, a Tuesday morning, three suicide bombers detonated their explosives, first at Zaventem and then at the packed metro station close to the seat of EU institutions.
The commemorations took place as the ongoing war in the Middle East has heightened the authorities’ concerns about possible new attacks.
This month, a pre-dawn blast damaged a synagogue in the eastern city of Liege, causing no injuries. Over the border, the Netherlands was later hit by two similar incidents targeting the Jewish community.
In Belgium, the threat level remains “serious”, at three on a four-point scale, following an October 2023 attack in Brussels that saw a gunman shoot dead two Swedish football fans before being killed by police.
Belgium was criticised for security failings in the run-up to the 2016 bombings, something the head of the country’s OCAM national threat analysis centre, Gert Vercauteren, said he remembers well.
“It’s a feeling of failure that obviously hit us all,” he said in an interview with AFP.
In the aftermath of the bombings, the Belgian government was left reeling.
Two ministers offered their resignations after Turkey said Belgium had ignored warnings from Ankara, which had deported airport bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui in 2015 following his arrest near the Syrian border.
“Those responsible for our security have a duty to take the lessons of the past to heart. I take that duty very seriously,” Prime Minister De Wever posted on X before attending the ceremonies.
Today, Belgium’s justice system, police and intelligence services assert they have significantly improved information sharing.
The number of state security service staff has increased from 600 to 950 agents in a decade. “We have learnt the right lessons,” asserted Vercauteren.
The creation of a shared database on extremist profiles was “a major step forward”, he said.
This database, which all security services, including municipal police forces working with community outreach staff, can access and contribute to, is constantly updated.
Last year, it contained 555 names “under priority monitoring”, 86 percent of whom were flagged for “Islamist extremism”, according to OCAM.
But some victims complain that even 10 years after the attacks, they are still unable to have their physical or psychological injuries recognised, limiting their right to compensation.
“Many victims and many relatives feel abandoned. This is a struggle for recognition and financial justice,” said Edmond Pinczowski, who lost his two adult children, Alexander and Sascha, at the airport.
