Brussels bomber was Moroccan national aged 26—prosecutor

Police officials and soldiers stand alert in a cordoned off area outside Gare Centrale in Brussels on June 20, 2017, after an explosion in the Belgian capital. AFP

Belgian authorities on Wednesday identified the bomber killed by soldiers in a busy Brussels rail station as a 36-year-old Moroccan national.

“The assailant has been identified as O.Z., born 20 January 1981 and of Moroccan nationality,” spokesman Eric Van Der Sypt said at a press conference after Tuesday’s attack.

“He was not known to the authorities for any terrorism connection,” Van Der Sypt said, declining to give the man’s full name while the investigation continues.

The bomb that he detonated consisted of a suitcase containing nails and gas bottles, Van Der Sypt said as he gave a dramatic account of the attack.

“It could have been much worse,” he said. “It is clear that he wanted to cause more damage than he did.”

The suspect entered the Central Station at 8:39 pm (1839 GMT) and twice approached a “group of passengers”, the second time standing in the middle of them, Van Der Sypt said, adding that there were around 10 people.

“He grabbed his suitcase while shouting and causing a partial explosion. Fortunately nobody was hurt,” he said.

“The suitcase immediately caught fire. The man then left his luggage burning and went down to the platform in pursuit of a station master.

“Meanwhile the bag exploded a second time more violently. This bag contained nails and gas bottles.

“The man then returned to the hall where he rushed to a soldier shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Greatest). The soldier immediately opened fire and hit the individual several times. The latter die on the spot as a result of his injuries,” he said.

The suspect was not wearing a suicide belt, as some Belgian media had reported, Van Der Sypt said.