After the terrorist attacks in Brussels that took place earlier this week and brought mayhem and a high death toll when the assailants detonated their bombs, seven suspects have been identified and some are in custody in Belgium and France under the watch of European authorities.

Following the triple-bombing attacks happened on Tuesday in Brussels claimed by the Islamic State, the remaining suspects are being held in custody while authorities continue to tighten its security as well as increase their efforts against the Islamic State group. Information gathered by Belgian authorities however, has given sufficient reasons to believe the terrorist were after a much bigger target, Belgian nuclear plants.

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Belgium has two nuclear power plants: Tihange, which is around 70 kilometres from the German border, and Doel, only a few kilometres from the Dutch border. Credit: EUobserver

Unfortunately for witnesses of the attacks, it’s going to take more than expected to identify the casualties resulted from the bombings credited to the terrorist group known as IS.Friends and family members who observed the bombing attacks happened on Belgian airport facilities and a metro station, where 31 people were killed, are still waiting in order to identify their departed ones, said forensic experts at the scene.

Following the investigation after the attacks, it was found that two suicide bombers had more ambitious plans in order to truly create chaos among people and bring the death toll even higher. Brothers Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui had plans to attack Belgian nuclear powers stations such as the Tihange nuclear plant of Electrabel in Belgium. Khalid was recently identified as the bomber who detonated his charge at the Maelbeek metro station in Brussels on Tuesday.

The assumption for the possible attacks on the nuclear plants in Belgium comes after authorities seized several hours of footage from the Electrabel’s facilities. The other El Bakraoui brother, Ibrahim blew himself up at Brussels airport, said investigators involved in the case after CCTV cameras showed the assailant between two other suspects. Authorities were able to find the footage after anti-terrorist forces stormed into the apartment of another terrorist suspect identified as Mohammed Bakkali.

Suspects’ fortune is yet to be determined

Among the other assailants involved in the Brussels’ terrorist attack perpetrated by the Islamic State group, Najim Laachraoui was identified as the second suicide bomber at the Belgian airport.

Najim was identified on Friday by forensic investigators; he was 25 and was Belgian as well. Also, French suspect Salah Abdeslam is currently held prisoner in a detention facility in Bruges while he waits for trial or to be extradited to France.

It’s worth noticing that Abdeslam had been Europe’s most wanted fugitive after an exhaustive manhunt for the suspect resulted in his capture. He was supposed to detonate the bomb as far back as November during the attacks in Paris, yet Salah didn’t follow through with the plans, said the magistrate assigned to his case. Still, his brother Brahim Abdeslam didn’t back down as he blew himself up at a café in Paris.

Nevertheless, Salah has claimed that his brother was the one who forced him to join the terrorist group, said Belgian Federal Police. Which provides Abdeslam with the benefit of the doubt in his court trial, as he declared he has helped on the attacks but has never followed through with it.

Source: Reuters