Emotions ran high as authorities began the trial for Brussels' suicide bombings in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured 300 others that the Islamic State claimed responsibility for.
On Monday, Judge Laurence Massart will confirm the identity of all parties to the case, including the defendants and lawyers who were representing roughly 1,000 people who were affected by the suicide attacks.
Brussels Bombings Trial
The judge will then address the jury in charge of the case, which was selected from a pool of 1,000 Belgians last week during a process that lasted 14 hours. The trial for the Brussels bombing has clear links to the French trial that covered the November 2015 Paris attacks.
Six of the individuals accused in the Brussels incident were sentenced to prison sentences of between 10 years and life in France last June. However, the Belgian trial will be different in that the jury will be responsible for settling the case instead of the judges.
The twin bombings that occurred at Brussels Airport, as well as a third bomb that was set off on the city's metro on Mar. 22, 2016, resulted in the death of 15 men and 17 women. The victims were of various nationalities, including Belgians, Americans, Dutch, Swedish, and nationals of Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Peru, and Poland, as per CNN.
Authorities charged nine men with multiple murders and attempted murders in a terrorist context, all with potential life sentences. All 10 of the defendants were also charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
The suspects included Mohamed Abrini, who prosecutors claimed went to the airport with two suicide bombers. However, the individual was believed to have fled without detonating his suitcase of explosives. Another was Osama Krayem, a Swedish national who was accused of planning to be a second bomber on the Brussels metro.
According to BBC, the main suspect in the French trial was Salah Abdeslam, who was detained four days prior to the Brussels attack. He was among the defendants that included individuals that prosecutors claimed hosted or assisted certain attackers.
Reliving Painful Memories
One person who will most likely be attending the latest trial is Sylvie Ingels, who said that she had experienced recurring nightmares in recent days. She said that if she came to the trial, it would be a step forward against her fears.
The trial has been delayed, previously scheduled for October, over a dispute about glass boxes for the defendants. Judges ordered the glass boxes to be rebuilt as they were designed to hold the suspects in court and prevent them from being able to speak with each other.
Defense lawyers had previously complained that the glass boxes were in breach of human rights. They argued that the cubicles deprived their clients of their dignity, with some describing the boxes as animal cages.
Now, the individual boxes have been rebuilt into one large glass cubicle that was open at the top and bottom. It will be shared by seven of the defendants while the remaining two, the brothers Ibrahim Farisi and Smail Farisi, who were not currently in detention, will be seated outside of it, the New York Times reported.
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