Jury in trial for terrorist attack in Brussels
The Brussels Heavy Criminal Court chooses among 1,000 citizens selected as candidates for the trial jury, where 10 people will be tried for the attacks perpetrated by the terrorist organization ISIS.
Candidates are between 28 and 65 years of age, have no criminal record and speak French.
36 people, 12 of whom will form the main jury and 24 will be substitutes, will be present at the first hearing to be held on December 5.
Some lawmakers and the federal prosecutor objected to the fact that it is the public, and not professional judges, who decide whether defendants are guilty or not.
At the opening hearing of the case, the defendants appeared before the judge.
The case is expected to be the largest in Belgium due to the large number of victims and their families attending hearings.
The case will be heard at the former NATO headquarters, which has been temporarily converted into a courthouse.
On March 22, 2016, 32 people were killed and 340 injured in bomb attacks at Brussels airport and the Maalbeek metro station in the city center.
The terrorist organization ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
The defendants allegedly belonged to an ISIS unit responsible for the attacks in Brussels and Paris in November 2015. The preliminary hearing in the case was held on September 12. (AA)