Brussels bomber identified as IS jailer of foreign hostages in Syria

Najim Laachraoui, one of the suicide bombers at the Brussels airport was identified by several IS hostages as one of the guards of their prison.

One of the Brussels airport suicide bombers, Najim Laachraoui, has been identified as one of their prison guards by several Frenchmen who were held hostage by Islamic State in Syria , sources close to the investigation said.

Najim Laachraoui, one of the suicide bombers at the Brussels airport was identified by several IS hostages as one of the guards of their prison. (Reuters file photo)

According to one of the sources, four French journalists kidnapped in Syria in 2013 and 2014 had identified a guard known as “Abou Idriss”.

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One of these journalists, Nicolas Henin, “formally identified” Abou Idriss as Najim Laachraoui, said his lawyer Marie-Laure Ingouf, confirming reports in French newspapers.