Trial opens of 10 accused over 2016 Brussels suicide attacks

By SYLVAIN PLAZY
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The trial of 10 men accused over the suicide bombings at Brussels airport and an underground metro station has opened amid high security. The attackers killed 32 people. Around 900 others suffered physical wounds or mental trauma. It was the deadliest peacetime attack on Belgian soil. The only survivor among the Islamic State extremists who launched attacks in Paris in 2015, Salah Abdeslam, is among the accused. Abdeslam appeared at Monday’s hearing but refused to take part, saying it was “unfair” that he should watch proceedings from inside a reinforced glass cubicle. The court is due to sit again on Oct. 10 to pick a jury for a trial set to run for up to 9 months.