Terror Cell Behind Brussels Attack Planned to Hit Euro 2016 Instead

Local Editor

Belgian-Moroccan terror suspect Mohamed Abrini told Belgian investigators the terror cell he was a part of had never intended to target Brussels but instead was planning to target the Euro 2016 football championships in France this summer, French newspaper Libération reported Monday.

Abrini was charged Sunday with 'terrorist murders' over the deadly Brussels attacks, after being indicted on the same charges Saturday for his role in last year's Paris massacre.

"According to our information, Mohamed Abrini has explained the initial intention of this nebulous terrorist Franco-Belgian terrorist group was to go into action during the Euro football tournament," Libération reported on Monday.

Euro 2016 is taking place in 10 host cities across France between 10 June and 10 July, with both the opening match and final among those held at the Stade deFrance in Paris.

Abrini confessed he was the 'man in the hat' who appeared next to the two suicide bombers at Brussels airport, Belgian prosecutors said Saturday.

Belgian prosecutors on Saturday said that a Brussels-based terror cell intended to launch a fresh strike in France, but attacked in the Belgian capital instead after being "surprised" by a quick-moving investigation.

The cell, which was directly involved in the November attacks on Paris which killed 130 people, had initially planned to stage a second deadly strike in France, but they changed their plans as investigators closed in.

Instead, they staged coordinated attacks on Belgium's airport and the metro system, killing 32 last month.

"Numerous elements in the investigation have shown that the terrorist group initially had the intention to strike in France again," a statement from the federal prosecutor's office said.

"Surprised by the speed of the progress in the ongoing investigation, they urgently took the decision to strike in Brussels."

Abrini, who was one of six people arrested in raids Friday across Brussels, was the last known Paris suspect still at large and was seen at a petrol station north of Paris two days before the attacks with Salah Abdeslam who is now awaiting extradition to France.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team