Tweet
Two of the suicide bombers who carried out attacks in Brussels on Tuesday have been named as brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui, Belgian nationals.
The federal prosecutor said Brahim was part of the attack at Zaventem airport that killed 11 people. Khalid struck at Maelbeek metro, where 20 people died.
Two other attackers at the airport have not yet been identified. One of them died, another is on the run.
Prosecutors say Brahim left a note in which he wrote of his desperation.
Belgium is observing three days of national mourning. The nation held a minute's silence at midday (11:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Belgium's king and queen have visited the airport and met some of the 300 people injured in the attacks. About 150 people remain in hospital, 61 in intensive care.
So-called Islamic State (IS) has said it was behind the attacks.
More about the attacks
What we know so far
Why was Brussels attacked?
Victims and survivors
Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said Brahim el-Bakraoui had been identified as the middle of three men in a CCTV image of the suspects of the airport attack.
The man on the left is believed to have died at the airport. The man on the right, wearing the hat, is thought to have fled the scene.
Unconfirmed reports in Belgian and French media suggest the man on the left is the wanted jihadist Najim Laachraoui.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The airport CCTV image. The man on the left has not been identified and is believed to have died. Brahim el-Bakraoui is in the middle and was also killed. The man on the right has not been identified and is on the run Mr Van Leeuw told reporters that a taxi driver said he had picked up the three men from an address in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels. This apartment was raided later on Tuesday and bomb-making materials, including 15kg (33lb) of high explosive, were found.
A note from Brahim el-Bakraoui was found in a nearby rubbish bin. In it, he wrote: "I'm in a hurry. I don't know what to do anymore, they're looking for me everywhere. I'm not safe anymore. If I give myself up they'll put me in a cell."
Mr van Leeuw said the two brothers were known to police and had criminal records. They were identified by DNA records.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionBelgian prosecutor Frederic van Leeuw: 'We found bomber's written testament' The RTBF broadcaster, quoting a police source, said that Khalid el-Bakraoui, 27, had used a false name to rent the flat in the Forest area of the Belgian capital where police killed a gunman in a shootout last week.
It was during that raid that police found a fingerprint of Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris terror attacks of 13 November. He was arrested in a raid in Brussels last Friday and is due to appear before a pre-trial court on Wednesday.
Khalid el-Bakraoui appears on the Interpol website. It says that he is being sought for terrorist activities.
Turkey says Brahim was detained by Turkish officials on the border with Syria in June 2015. They deported him with the warning that he was a "foreign fighter" but the Belgian authorities let him go. Belgium has not yet responded to the claims.
Image copyright EPA Image caption The suspect pictured at the airport wearing a hat is thought to have fled the scene The man on the right in the CCTV picture, who is being hunted, had a bag of detonators that were left behind. Mr Van Leeuw said the bag had contained "the biggest bomb", which later exploded "because it was so unstable" but did not harm anyone.
Najim Laachraoui was named earlier this week by police as a wanted accomplice of Abdeslam.
Analysts say Laachraoui is believed to be a key bomb maker, and French media say he also played a major role in the terror attacks in Paris.
Some Belgian media reported on Wednesday that he was the man arrested in Anderlecht area of the city, but Mr Van Leeuw denied the reports.
From the scene: Gavin Lee, BBC's Europe Reporter
There are still dozens of passengers being escorted out of the Brussels airport security zone, a day on from the biggest terrorist atrocity to hit Belgium. They were guests at the Sheraton Airport hotel.
Security services had advised spending the night at the hotel for their own safety, and intelligence officers have been visiting each room, interviewing guests and looking for anything suspicious. The hotel foyer became the immediate triage area for medical teams, bringing in the casualties and the bodies of those who died.
Now, dozens of military police and soldiers guard the airport entrance, with access only for forensic teams, investigators and airport staff. Several 'ghost flights' with no passengers on board set off this afternoon. Airlines are starting to move their aircrafts elsewhere, aware that 'business as usual' at Brussels airport could be a long way off.
In pictures: Brussels explosions
From Paris to Brussels: Why the attacks are linked
Analysis: The Middle East is now Europe's backyard
Full coverage
The first of the victims to be named is Peruvian Adelma Tapia Ruiz, 37.
She had been at Zaventem airport with her Belgian husband and twin four-year-old daughters, who were unharmed, her brother told Peruvian radio.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionBrother of first named victim: "My sister had planned to come back to Peru" World leaders have been reacting to the attacks. US President Barack Obama said fighting IS was his administration's "top priority", but added: "How do we do it in an intelligent way?"
France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls, on a visit to Belgium, warned that EU nations "will have to invest massively in their security system" in the coming years.
EU interior and justice ministers will hold a crisis meeting in Brussels on Thursday to discuss their response to the latest attacks.
Belgium has raised its terrorism alert to the highest level, and its international airport will remain closed on Thursday. Brussels Metro is due to close on Wednesday at 19:00 (18:00 GMT), operators say.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionPeople applauded in the Place de la Bourse after observing a minute's silence Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionBrussels commuter: "I walked 5km to work" Have you been affected by events in Brussels? Please share your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
Or use the form below
Your contact details Name Your E-mail address (required) Town & Country Your telephone number Comments (required) If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Terms and conditions
Related Topics
Share this story About sharing
Belgium under attack
Videos
Extremism in Belgium
Europe
Ukrainian pilot given 22-year sentence
Full article Ukrainian pilot given 22-year sentence
Ash tree set for extinction in Europe
Full article Ash tree set for extinction in Europe
Farage defends migration link to attacks
Full article Farage defends migration link to attacks
Europe live reporting
Live Brussels attacks: Latest updates
1 hour ago
Coverage concludes
Full article Brussels attacks: Latest updates
Top Stories
Two brothers behind Brussels attacks Two of the suicide bombers behind the Brussels attacks are named as brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui, as the manhunt for one suspect continues.
5 hours ago
Israeli firm linked to FBI iPhone hack 6 hours ago
Clinton condemns Trump's plans for Nato 2 hours ago
Features & Analysis
Gravity control
The mystery behind Project Greenglow
Classic Ford
Why the former mayor of Toronto was a typical Canadian
Whose child?
Why a four-year-old refused to leave police custody
'Flabby liberalism'
Tony Blair says more is needed to counter extremism
Casa de Cards
How a 'House of Cards' actor sparked an online argument in Argentina
Wages and ages
Japan explores revamp of link between seniority and salary
People power
Would you run for 13 hours to charge your phone?
Video 5:08
Top dog
Pickles the pooch who sniffed out stolen 1966 world cup
Frog foam
A clever way to deliver healing drugs to burns patients?
Most Popular popular
Most read
The federal prosecutor said Brahim was part of the attack at Zaventem airport that killed 11 people. Khalid struck at Maelbeek metro, where 20 people died.
Two other attackers at the airport have not yet been identified. One of them died, another is on the run.
Prosecutors say Brahim left a note in which he wrote of his desperation.
Belgium is observing three days of national mourning. The nation held a minute's silence at midday (11:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Belgium's king and queen have visited the airport and met some of the 300 people injured in the attacks. About 150 people remain in hospital, 61 in intensive care.
So-called Islamic State (IS) has said it was behind the attacks.
More about the attacks
What we know so far
Why was Brussels attacked?
Victims and survivors
Federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said Brahim el-Bakraoui had been identified as the middle of three men in a CCTV image of the suspects of the airport attack.
The man on the left is believed to have died at the airport. The man on the right, wearing the hat, is thought to have fled the scene.
Unconfirmed reports in Belgian and French media suggest the man on the left is the wanted jihadist Najim Laachraoui.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The airport CCTV image. The man on the left has not been identified and is believed to have died. Brahim el-Bakraoui is in the middle and was also killed. The man on the right has not been identified and is on the run Mr Van Leeuw told reporters that a taxi driver said he had picked up the three men from an address in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels. This apartment was raided later on Tuesday and bomb-making materials, including 15kg (33lb) of high explosive, were found.
A note from Brahim el-Bakraoui was found in a nearby rubbish bin. In it, he wrote: "I'm in a hurry. I don't know what to do anymore, they're looking for me everywhere. I'm not safe anymore. If I give myself up they'll put me in a cell."
Mr van Leeuw said the two brothers were known to police and had criminal records. They were identified by DNA records.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionBelgian prosecutor Frederic van Leeuw: 'We found bomber's written testament' The RTBF broadcaster, quoting a police source, said that Khalid el-Bakraoui, 27, had used a false name to rent the flat in the Forest area of the Belgian capital where police killed a gunman in a shootout last week.
It was during that raid that police found a fingerprint of Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris terror attacks of 13 November. He was arrested in a raid in Brussels last Friday and is due to appear before a pre-trial court on Wednesday.
Khalid el-Bakraoui appears on the Interpol website. It says that he is being sought for terrorist activities.
Turkey says Brahim was detained by Turkish officials on the border with Syria in June 2015. They deported him with the warning that he was a "foreign fighter" but the Belgian authorities let him go. Belgium has not yet responded to the claims.
Image copyright EPA Image caption The suspect pictured at the airport wearing a hat is thought to have fled the scene The man on the right in the CCTV picture, who is being hunted, had a bag of detonators that were left behind. Mr Van Leeuw said the bag had contained "the biggest bomb", which later exploded "because it was so unstable" but did not harm anyone.
Najim Laachraoui was named earlier this week by police as a wanted accomplice of Abdeslam.
Analysts say Laachraoui is believed to be a key bomb maker, and French media say he also played a major role in the terror attacks in Paris.
Some Belgian media reported on Wednesday that he was the man arrested in Anderlecht area of the city, but Mr Van Leeuw denied the reports.
From the scene: Gavin Lee, BBC's Europe Reporter
There are still dozens of passengers being escorted out of the Brussels airport security zone, a day on from the biggest terrorist atrocity to hit Belgium. They were guests at the Sheraton Airport hotel.
Security services had advised spending the night at the hotel for their own safety, and intelligence officers have been visiting each room, interviewing guests and looking for anything suspicious. The hotel foyer became the immediate triage area for medical teams, bringing in the casualties and the bodies of those who died.
Now, dozens of military police and soldiers guard the airport entrance, with access only for forensic teams, investigators and airport staff. Several 'ghost flights' with no passengers on board set off this afternoon. Airlines are starting to move their aircrafts elsewhere, aware that 'business as usual' at Brussels airport could be a long way off.
In pictures: Brussels explosions
From Paris to Brussels: Why the attacks are linked
Analysis: The Middle East is now Europe's backyard
Full coverage
The first of the victims to be named is Peruvian Adelma Tapia Ruiz, 37.
She had been at Zaventem airport with her Belgian husband and twin four-year-old daughters, who were unharmed, her brother told Peruvian radio.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionBrother of first named victim: "My sister had planned to come back to Peru" World leaders have been reacting to the attacks. US President Barack Obama said fighting IS was his administration's "top priority", but added: "How do we do it in an intelligent way?"
France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls, on a visit to Belgium, warned that EU nations "will have to invest massively in their security system" in the coming years.
EU interior and justice ministers will hold a crisis meeting in Brussels on Thursday to discuss their response to the latest attacks.
Belgium has raised its terrorism alert to the highest level, and its international airport will remain closed on Thursday. Brussels Metro is due to close on Wednesday at 19:00 (18:00 GMT), operators say.
Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionPeople applauded in the Place de la Bourse after observing a minute's silence Jump media player
Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media captionBrussels commuter: "I walked 5km to work" Have you been affected by events in Brussels? Please share your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
- WhatsApp: +44 7525 900971
- Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk
- Upload your pictures / video here
- Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
- Send an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100
Or use the form below
Your contact details Name Your E-mail address (required) Town & Country Your telephone number Comments (required) If you are happy to be contacted by a BBC journalist please leave a telephone number that we can contact you on. In some cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name as you provide it and location, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. When sending us pictures, video or eyewitness accounts at no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.
Terms and conditions
Related Topics
Share this story About sharing
Belgium under attack
- Live Brussels attacks: Latest updates
22 March 2016
- Brussels attacks: Victims and survivors
23 March 2016
- From Paris to Brussels: Why the attacks are linked
23 March 2016
- Brussels explosions: What we know
23 March 2016
- Why has Brussels been attacked?
23 March 2016
- 'Devastation' and 'chaos' after attacks
22 March 2016
- Airport security under the spotlight again
22 March 2016
- In pictures: Brussels blasts
22 March 2016
- 'Pray for Brussels': What people were saying online after attacks
22 March 2016
Videos
- Video Brussels attacks: What happened when?
22 March 2016
- Video Brussels metro struck in terrorist attack
22 March 2016
- Video Passengers flee Brussels airport
22 March 2016
- Video Brussels airport strewn with debris
22 March 2016
- Video Eyewitnesses describe Brussels blast
22 March 2016
- Video Injured treated after metro blast
22 March 2016
Extremism in Belgium
- Salah Abdeslam's luck runs out
19 March 2016
- Belgium: Europe's favourite gun shop?
19 November 2015
- Is Molenbeek a hotbed of extremism?
17 November 2015
- Is bashing Belgium over Paris attacks justified?
27 November 2015
- Belgium's jihadist networks
16 January 2015
Europe
Ukrainian pilot given 22-year sentence
- 22 March 2016
- From the section Europe
Full article Ukrainian pilot given 22-year sentence
Ash tree set for extinction in Europe
- 23 March 2016
- From the section Science & Environment
- 631 comments
Full article Ash tree set for extinction in Europe
Farage defends migration link to attacks
- 23 March 2016
- From the section UK Politics
Full article Farage defends migration link to attacks
Europe live reporting
Live Brussels attacks: Latest updates
1 hour ago
Coverage concludes
Full article Brussels attacks: Latest updates
Top Stories
Two brothers behind Brussels attacks Two of the suicide bombers behind the Brussels attacks are named as brothers Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui, as the manhunt for one suspect continues.
5 hours ago
Israeli firm linked to FBI iPhone hack 6 hours ago
Clinton condemns Trump's plans for Nato 2 hours ago
Features & Analysis
Gravity control
The mystery behind Project Greenglow
Classic Ford
Why the former mayor of Toronto was a typical Canadian
Whose child?
Why a four-year-old refused to leave police custody
'Flabby liberalism'
Tony Blair says more is needed to counter extremism
Casa de Cards
How a 'House of Cards' actor sparked an online argument in Argentina
Wages and ages
Japan explores revamp of link between seniority and salary
People power
Would you run for 13 hours to charge your phone?
Video 5:08
Top dog
Pickles the pooch who sniffed out stolen 1966 world cup
Frog foam
A clever way to deliver healing drugs to burns patients?
Most Popular popular
Most read
- 1 Clinton condemns Trump's plans for Nato
- 2 Brussels attacks: Latest updates
- 3 Israeli firm linked to FBI iPhone hack
- 4 Two brothers behind Brussels attacks
- 5 Tribe Called Quest star dies aged 45
- 6 Project Greenglow and the battle with gravity
- 7 IS in Europe: The race to the death
- 8 Why Rob Ford was a typical Canadian
- 9 What happened when a president joked about 'House of Cards'
- 10 Why has Brussels been attacked?