In a decisive Brussels courtroom session, judges handed down verdicts connected to the March 22, 2016 bombings that killed 35 people and wounded hundreds. Eight defendants faced accountability for the attack, with three receiving life sentences and three others given prison terms ranging from ten to thirty years. The remaining two defendants were not penalized because earlier judicial steps already reflected their level of involvement. This judgment closed a long chapter of investigations and trials centered on a single, devastating strike that reshaped security and counterterrorism policy across Europe. (Source: Brussels court records)
The courtroom focused on two central figures: Salah Abdeslam, also linked to the 2015 Paris attacks, and Sophie Setting. Abdeslam had already accumulated a life sentence plus additional years from other jurisdictions, while Setting participated in parts of the day’s events but was not present for the final sentencing. The court emphasized that the principal architect of the Brussels operation would bear the harshest penalties, delivering life imprisonment to the individual in that role. Osama Atar, tried in absentia and believed to be deceased in Syria, received the maximum sentence alongside penalties for co-conspirators. The cases of Bilal El Makhoukhi and Osama Krayem were heard together, reflecting their tightly interwoven roles. Mohamed Abrini received a thirty-year term, Ali El Haddad Asufi was sentenced to twenty years, and Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa was given ten years, having already spent seven years in preventive detention prior to the latest ruling. (Source: court proceedings)
During the final hearing on the eleventh day, the convicted parties were allowed to address the court directly. Several spoke with sympathy for those affected and reflected on the human consequences of the attacks. Abdeslam stated that he did not foresee the Brussels plan, while Abrini asked for forgiveness for his actions. El Makhoukhi admitted responsibility, and El Haddad Asufi, who had formerly worked at Brussels Airport, broke into tears while insisting he did not view himself as a terrorist or a murderer. (Source: courtroom transcripts)
El Makhoukhi expressed remorse for the harm caused, acknowledging that no sentence would fully compensate the victims. Bayingana Muhirwa, convicted for membership in a terrorist organization, acknowledged that the choices made were wrong, even as he did not deny the consequences. The eight individuals had previously received sentences from the same court on July 25, and a new panel of twelve jurors and three career judges determined the precise penalties. The verdicts covered a range of charges: six defendants were found guilty of terrorist murder, attempted murder, and membership in a terrorist organization, while two were convicted solely of belonging to a terrorist organization. (Source: judicial panel notes)
On the day of the attacks, explosions struck Zaventem Airport on the outskirts of Brussels, followed by a third blast at Maalbeek metro station near the European Commission headquarters. These events shifted the trajectory of European security discourse and intensified debates over counterterrorism measures, border controls, and community resilience across Belgium and beyond. The court’s rulings aimed to establish accountability for the violence and bring closure to a painful chapter in Brussels’ recent history, as observed by legal analysts and commentators following the case. (Source: post-trial analyses)