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Belgium charges suspected Brussels airport bomber

– ‘Man in the hat’ –

Heavily armed soldiers and police remained on patrol in the capital and Zaventem airport.

In an indication the city is still on edge, a bomb disposal squad carried out a controlled detonation on a southern Brussels street to destroy a suspect backpack.

Pop diva Mariah Carey on Friday cancelled a show in Brussels, saying she was advised to do so “for the safety of my fans, my band, crew and everyone involved with the tour.”

In contrast, veteran French rock star Johnny Hallyday was going ahead with two planned concerts in Brussels over the weekend.

Prosecutors said Faycal C was one of three people arrested outside the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office in Brussels on Thursday night as part of a huge sweep of detentions across Belgium and Europe.

“He has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder,” the prosecutor said.

Asked by AFP if Faycal C. was the suspected third bomber dubbed the “man in the hat”, a source close to the inquiry told AFP: “That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on.”

Local media named the suspect as Faycal Cheffou, a freelance journalist.

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He is the first person charged with terror offences over the Brussels attacks, the worst in the history of a country that is home to the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

A second suspect named as Rabah N. linked to a foiled plot in France was charged with taking part in terrorist activities.

French police said Friday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34-year-old Reda Kriket – a man previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud – after arresting him and discovering explosives at his home.

A suspect shot in the leg Friday at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels is being held for another 24 hours as investigations into the French plot continue.

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