Arrested Brussels suspect may be fugitive airport bomber

A suspect has been charged with terrorist murder and police are trying to confirm if he is the third Brussels airport bomber who fled the scene, a source close to the probe said Saturday.

"He has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder," the prosecutor said in a statement, naming the suspect as Faycal C, one of six people detained in several separate police raids late on Thursday.

Asked by AFP if the suspect was the fugitive captured on CCTV wearing a hat and pushing a luggage trolley through the check-in hall alongside two other suicide bombers, the source said it was not yet confirmed.

"That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on," the source told AFP.

Belgian media have repeatedly identified the man in the footage, who is wearing a light coat and black hat, as Faycal Cheffou.

The prosecutor's statement said police searched the suspect's home but found no arms or explosives.

Faycal C. is the first to be charged over Tuesday's airport and metro bombings, in which 31 people were killed and 300 injured.

A second suspect, identified as Rabah N. and who had links to a foiled plot in France, was charged with taking part in terrorist activities.

A third man, Aboubakar A., is being held on similar charges.

Another suspect, who was arrested on Friday after being shot in the leg at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, is being held for another 24 hours as investigations continue. He was identified as Abderaman A.

And another man, Tawfik A., was released after extensive questioning, the statement said.