Ceremonies were held on Sunday to mark nine years since the terrorist attacks in Brussels that targeted the Brussels National Airport (Zaventem) and Maelbeek metro station claiming 32 lives – excluding the assailants – and wounding more than 340, some with life-altering injuries.
In the early hours of March 22, 2016, suicide bombers launched a coordinated assault on the Belgian capital. At 7:48 a.m., two terrorists detonated themselves in the crowded departure hall of Zaventem. Less than two hours later, a third attacker blew himself up at the Maelbeek station, near the heart of the EU institutions.
The Islamic State (IS), then at the height of its influence, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were orchestrated by the same terrorist cell responsible for the Bataclan massacre in Paris in November 2015, where 130 people were murdered.
Arrests began shortly after the Brussels attacks. Belgium’s largest-ever terrorism trial – held between December 2022 until September 2023 – ended with the conviction of eight individuals for terrorist-related crimes. Their sentences ranged from ten years to life imprisonment. Three of the perpetrators died during the attacks.
Salah Abdeslam, Sofien Ayari, and Osama Krayem, already serving sentences in France for their involvement with the Paris attacks were temporarily transferred to Belgium for the trial but will serve the rest of their sentences in France. Krayem also faces charges in Sweden for his alleged role in the murder of a Jordanian pilot in Syria. The other convicts, Mohamed Abrini, Bilal El Makhouki, Ali El Haddad Asufi, and Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa, are serving their sentences in Belgium. Oussama Atar, believed to be the mastermind of the attack, was never captured and is presumed to have been killed by a drone strike in Syria in 2017.
Terrorism’s cost
For many survivors, these convictions have not brought closure. One young woman, who was just 17 when she narrowly survived the attacks, died by assisted suicide in 2022, unable to bear the enduring physical and psychological trauma.
Beyond the unbearable human toll, the attacks have had a significant societal cost. Until 2021, the military patrolled the streets of Brussels. The trials alone have cost to the Belgian state about €35.3 million. Insurance companies have paid out €84 million in compensation to victims, with a further €57 million expected in coming years to cover life insurances, medical care, or disability benefits.
Non-profits like Life4Brussels continue to provide support to survivors, offering psychological care, legal guidance and rehabilitation. Beyond individual suffering, the economic impact on tourism, shopping and industries is estimated to have cost the city over €1 billion.
Il y a 9 ans, le 22 mars 2016, les attentats de #Bruxelles à l’aéroport de #Zaventem et à la station de métro de #Maelbeek, perpétrés et revendiqués par l’#EI, faisaient 32 morts et près de 350 blessés #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/xbOE3WG7Sm
— Jean-Charles Brisard (@JcBrisard) March 22, 2025
Honouring the victims
Peace and resilience were central to Sunday’s commemorative events across Brussels. One survivor told the Flemish News channel VRT: ‘We will show ourselves to be stronger than the perpetrators’.
🖤 22.03.2016
— EU Home Affairs (@EUHomeAffairs) March 22, 2025
The terrorist attack in #Brussels at @BrusselsAirport and the #Maelbeek metro station took the lives of 32 people and left more than 300 injured.
N’oublions jamais! #WeRemember. pic.twitter.com/aJYMMLp4CJ
A commemoration service was held by the Flight in Mind bronze artwork by Olivier Strebelle. Damaged in the attacks, the sculpture was restored and permanently placed in Zaventem’s memorial garden to serve as a symbol. The names of the victims were read aloud. Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort and Brussels Mayor Philippe Close attended the events.
Additional events and gatherings were organised by non-profits in Ixelles and a march for peace took place from Place Schuman to Place du Luxembourg, which concluded with a musical event. A ceremony was also held at the Memorial 22/03 in the Sonian forest, designed by Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets.
