Brussels district linked

to Islamist attacks

Molenbeek, a poor and diverse neighbourhood of Brussels with a reputation as a haven for jihadists, has been linked with a string of Islamist attacks across Europe and elsewhere since at least 2001

Sep 9, 2001:

Molenbeek

Anti-Taliban

commander Ahmad

Shah Massoud

killed in Afghanistan

just two days before

9/11 terror attacks.

Brussels

Paris

BRUSSELS

Al Qaeda assassins known

to have stayed in Molenbeek

Verviers

Mar 11, 2004:

5km

Series of coordinated

bomb attacks on four

commuter trains in

Madrid, Spain, kill

192 people.

3 miles

Aug 23:

Ayoub El Kahzzani, of

Moroccan origin, opens fire in Paris-

bound train from Amsterdam before

being overpowered by passengers.

Jailed mastermind,

Moroccan-born Hassan El Haski,

lived for a while in Molenbeek

El Kahzzani stayed in Molenbeek

with sister before boarding

train in Brussels

May 24, 2014:

Mehdi

Nemmouche, French national of

Algerian origin, opens fire at Jewish

Museum in Brussels, killing four.

Nov 13: Multiple attacks in Paris

kill 129 people and injure over 300.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud (below left)

– suspected mastermind currently

fighting alongside Islamic State

in Syria – and Salah Abdeslam

(right), key suspect on run, both

lived in Molenbeek

Nemmouche, who spent one year

in Syria, lived in Molenbeek

at time of attack

Jan 8-9, 2015:

French-born Amedy

Coulibaly kills

policewoman and

four hostages at

kosher supermarket

in Paris in wake of

attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Coulibaly acquired weapons from

local arms trader in Molenbeek

Jan 14:

Alleged plot to attack

Belgian police foiled by raids – two

men killed in Verviers.

Men had

connections to Molenbeek

Pictures: Getty Images, AP

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Brussels district linked

to Islamist attacks

Molenbeek, a poor and diverse neighbourhood of Brussels with a reputation as a haven for jihadists, has been linked with a string of Islamist attacks across Europe and elsewhere since at least 2001

Molenbeek

Brussels

Paris

BRUSSELS

Verviers

5km

3 miles

Sep 9, 2001:

Anti-Taliban commander

Ahmad Shah Massoud (above) killed in

Afghanistan just two days before 9/11 terror

attacks

Al Qaeda assassins known to

have stayed in Molenbeek

Mar 11, 2004:

Series of

coordinated bomb attacks on four

commuter trains in Madrid, Spain,

kill 192 people.

Jailed mastermind, Moroccan-born

Hassan El Haski, lived for a while

in Molenbeek

May 24, 2014:

Mehdi Nemmouche,

French national of Algerian origin, opens

fire at Jewish Museum in Brussels, killing four.

Nemmouche, who spent one year in Syria,

lived in Molenbeek at time of attack

Jan 8-9, 2015:

French-born

Amedy Coulibaly kills policewoman

and four hostages at kosher

supermarket in Paris in wake of

attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Coulibaly acquired weapons from

local arms trader in Molenbeek

Jan 14:

Alleged plot to attack Belgian police

foiled by raids – two men killed in Verviers.

Men had connections to Molenbeek

Aug 23:

Ayoub El Kahzzani, of Moroccan

origin, opens fire in Paris-bound train from

Amsterdam before being overpowered by

passengers.

El Kahzzani stayed in Molenbeek with sister

before boarding train in Brussels

Nov 13: Multiple attacks in Paris kill

129 people and injure over 300.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud (below left) –

suspected mastermind currently

fighting alongside Islamic State in

Syria – and Salah Abdeslam (right), key

suspect on run, both lived in Molenbeek

Pictures: Getty Images, AP

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Brussels

district linked

to Islamist

attacks

Molenbeek, a poor and diverse neighbourhood of Brussels with a reputation as a haven for jihadists, has been linked with a string of Islamist attacks across Europe and elsewhere since at least 2001

Molenbeek

Brussels

Paris

BRUSSELS

Verviers

5km

3 miles

Sep 9, 2001:

Anti-Taliban

commander Ahmad

Shah Massoud

killed in Afghanistan

just two days before

9/11 terror attacks.

Al Qaeda assassins known

to have stayed in Molenbeek

Mar 11, 2004:

Series of bomb

attacks on four

commuter trains

in Madrid, Spain,

kill 192 people.

Jailed mastermind,

Moroccan-born Hassan El Haski,

lived for a while in Molenbeek

May 24, 2014:

Mehdi

Nemmouche, French national of

Algerian origin, opens fire at Jewish

Museum in Brussels, killing four.

Nemmouche, who spent one

year in Syria, lived in Molenbeek

at time of attack

Jan 8-9, 2015:

French-born Amedy

Coulibaly kills

policewoman and

four hostages at

kosher supermarket

in Paris in wake of

attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Coulibaly acquired weapons from

local arms trader in Molenbeek

Jan 14:

Alleged plot to attack

Belgian police foiled by raids – two

men killed in Verviers.

Men had

connections to Molenbeek

Aug 23:

Ayoub El Kahzzani,

of Moroccan origin, opens fire in

Paris-bound train from Amsterdam

before being overpowered by

passengers.

El Kahzzani stayed

in Molenbeek with sister before

boarding train in Brussels

Nov 13: Multiple attacks in

Paris kill 129 people and injure

over 300. Abdelhamid Abaaoud

(below left) – suspected

mastermind currently fighting

alongside Islamic State in Syria

– and Salah Abdeslam (right),

key suspect on run, both

lived in Molenbeek

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Pictures: Getty Images, AP