Belgian authorities have arrested a suspect from Iraq, believed to be a member of an al-Qaeda terrorist cell, according to a statement from the federal prosecutor’s office.

“A person of Iraqi nationality, OYT (born 1979) residing in Belgium since 2015, was arrested and questioned,” the prosecutor’s office said, noting that “the suspect is believed to be a member of an al-Qaeda terrorist cell, partly responsible for several bombings attacks in the Green Zone of Baghdad (Iraq) in 2009 and 2010, which left at least 376 dead and more than 2,300 injured. These attacks were allegedly carried out using car bombs against, among others, several government buildings.”

Also, according to the prosecutor’s office, the arrest warrant was issued on May 3 and among the charges against the 44-year-old are participation in the activities of a terrorist group, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Finally, it is reported that this is a file of the federal prosecutor opened in July 2020 and that the Federal Judicial Police of Brussels, under the guidance of an investigator specializing in terrorism cases from Antwerp, conducted an investigation in Hasselt on May 3.