Ibrahim El Bakraoui
| Ibrahim El Bakraoui | |
|---|---|
 Still from CCTV footage showing Najim Laachraoui (left), Ibrahim El Bakraoui (centre), and Mohamed Abrini (right) | |
| Born |
9 October 1986 Brussels, Belgium |
| Status | Deceased |
| Died |
22 March 2016 (aged 29) Zaventem, Belgium |
| Known for | Involvement in the 2016 Brussels bombings |
Ibrahim El Bakraoui (Arabic: إبراهيم البكراوي; 9 October 1986 – 22 March 2016) was a Belgian national of Moroccan descent, confirmed to be one of the suicide bombers at the Brussels Airport in the 2016 Brussels bombings.
Personal background
El Bakraoui was born on 9 October 1986 in Brussels and raised in Laken, a residential district in northwestern Brussels.[1] He was a Belgian national of Moroccan descent.[2] His father, a retired butcher and devout Muslim, emigrated from Morocco; his mother was described as "conservative and reclusive".[1] His brother Khalid has been identified as the suicide bomber at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels on 22 March 2016.[3]
In January 2010, he was involved in the attempted robbery of a currency exchange office, where he shot at police with a Kalashnikov rifle while providing a lookout for his accomplices. One police officer was shot in the leg but survived.[1] The Mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans, and the Mayor of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Philippe Moureaux, described the shooting as a "fait divers" (a small daily news item) and "normal in a large city", causing controversy.[4]
Later in 2010, Ibrahim was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but was released on parole in 2014 under the condition that he did not leave the country for longer than a month. Following his release from prison, he collected €25,000 in Belgian government benefits until December 2015.[5] He failed to abide by the conditions of parole and was sought again by the authorities.[1]
Manhunt and terrorist activities
According to the authorities in Turkey, they arrested Ibrahim as a "suspected terrorist" in June 2015 and deported him to Europe, where he chose to go to the Netherlands.[6] Belgian authorities were informed of the detention and deportation, but they apparently ignored the warnings, and the Netherlands released Ibrahim after failing to establish any link to terrorism.[7][8]
Ibrahim and his brother Khalid were known to the Belgian authorities. Unlike other radicalised ISIL adherents, who started as petty criminals, the men had a history of committing more serious crimes.[1] They were believed to have rented an apartment that housed some of the assailants involved in the November 2015 Paris attacks and supplied ammunition for them.[8]
On 15 March 2016, Ibrahim and his brother Khalid evaded capture during a police raid in Brussels.[9] On 16 March 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States sent information about them to authorities in the Netherlands. They had been tracking Ibrahim since September 2015.[10]
Authorities found a laptop belonging to Ibrahim inside a waste container near a house raided following the bombings.[9] The laptop had a suicide note stored on it, in which Ibrahim stated that he was "stressed out", felt unsafe, and was "afraid of ever-lasting eternity".[11] It also contained images of the home and the office of the Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, among information on multiple other locations in Brussels.[12]
Ibrahim has been identified as one of the suicide bombers at the Brussels airport on 22 March 2016.[3]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ibrahim and Khalid el-Bakraoui: From Bank Robbers to Brussels Bombers". The New York Times. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ↑ "Brussels suicide bombers fit familiar profile; links to Paris terrorist attacks seen". Los Angeles Times. 23 March 2016.
- 1 2 "Brothers ID'd as suicide bombers in Belgium, 1 suspect 'on the run'". CNN. 24 March 2016.
- ↑ "Schietpartij in Anderlecht was fait divers". Het Laatste Nieuws. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ↑ "Terrorist Suspects in Europe Got Welfare Benefits While Plotting Attacks". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
Bakraoui was given jobless benefits in early 2014, after a stint in prison for armed robbery and carjacking. In total, he collected about €25,000 in unemployment, medical and other benefits, according to one of the people familiar with the case. He wasn’t shut off until last December, when Belgian authorities issued a warrant for him in connection with the Paris attacks.
- ↑ Jim Brunsden; Mehul Srivastava (25 March 2016). "Belgium admits mishandling Turkish terror warnings". Financial Times. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ↑ David Lawler; Danny Boyle; James Rothwell (22 March 2016). "Brussels attacks: suicide bomber was known militant deported from Turkey to Europe, president says - live". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- 1 2 Lydia Tomkiw (23 March 2016). "Who Are Khalid And Ibrahim el-Bakraoui? Brothers Identified As Suicide Bombers In Brussels Terror Attacks". The International Business Times. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- 1 2 Alastair Jamieson; Annick M'Kele (23 March 2016). "Brussels Attacks: El Bakraoui Brothers Were Jailed for Carjackings, Shootout". NBC News. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ↑ "FBI warned Dutch about dangers of Brussels bombers almost a week before attacks". Russia Today. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ↑ "Zelfmoordenaar laat laptop met testament achter in vuilnisbak". De Morgen. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ↑ Raf Casert (30 March 2016). "A Belgian official says laptop used by one of the Brussels bombers contained images of the Belgian prime minister's home and office, heightening fears after last week's attacks on the airport and subway system". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 April 2016.