Mohamed Abrini, suspected of involvement in the Paris attacks, has admitted being the “man in the hat” spotted alongside two Brussels suicide bombers, Belgian prosecutors say.
Abrini, who was charged with “terrorist murders” today, confessed to being the hat-wearing man whose video image had been widely circulated by authorities, the Federal Prosecution Office said.
“After being confronted with the results of the different expert examinations, he confessed his presence at the crime scene," a statement said.
The prosecutors' office said Abrini threw away his vest in a garbage bin and sold his hat after the bombings.
Three other men have also today been charged with terrorist offences, including a man named as Osama K.
He has been charged with “terrorist murders” following the bombing of a Brussels metro station.
Another two men, named as Herve BM and Bilal EM, have been charged with participating in terrorist murders and terrorist activities.
Two men who were arrested with Abrini during a Brussels raid yesterday have been released "after thorough interrogation," prosecutors said.
Islamic State bombings at the airport and metro station last month killed 32 people and wounded 270 others.
The charges follow days of arrests and raids in in Brussels.
