New information has revealed that the Brussels terrorist gang were preparing to attack a Belgian nuclear power plant.
Belgian investigators searching houses linked to suspects in the attack on Paris in November found 12 hours of chilling reconnaissance footage, showing the ISIS cell spying on the Belgian’s nuclear power chief, possibly as part of a kidnap plan to force him into letting them in one of the power plants, newspaper Derniere Heure reports.
The footage was discovered as early as February after anti-terrorist police raided an apartment in Brussels in an effort to find information on the Paris attackers.
The video showed the arrivals and departures of the nuclear power chief from his home, which was taken from a hidden camera, according to investigators. It was unclear at the time who took the footage, but it has now been claimed that it belongs to Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui – the brothers responsible for the Brussels attacks, The Daily Mail reports
After the discovery of the footage, armed troops were sent to defend French and Belgian nuclear facilities, and both countries nuclear programmes were put on the highest state of alert.
Reports in February did not name Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui as the owners of the footage, but the claim now gives further connection between the Paris and Brussels bombings.
The attack in Belgium on Tuesday, which killed at least 34 people, is now believed to have been carried out because the authorities were closing in on these ISIS members.
And Salah Abdeslam – who is linked to the Bakraoui brothers’ ISIS cell – will appear before judges in Brussels today. His hearing was due Wednesday but was postponed because of the Brussels attacks.
