ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkey detained one of Brussels terrorist attack suspects on the border with Syria last year and deported him to Belgium, but Belgian authorities ignored Ankara's warnings that he was a militant and set him free, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday. The news outlet, however, states that Belgian prosecutors has no confirmation of such reports.
According to latest official reports, 31 people were killed and 270 injured in a series of terrorist attacks in the Belgian capital, Brussels, on Tuesday. Brothers Khalid and Ibrahim Bakraoui, as well as Najim Laachraoui were earlier identified by Belgian authorities as Brussels attackers.
"We detained one of the terrorists, who carried out terrorist acts in Brussels, in June last year in Gaziantep and deported him to Belgium, notifying the Belgian embassy on July 14, 2015," Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara.
"Despite of our warnings that this man has links with foreign terrorists, Belgium failed to find such a connection. The Belgians let him go," Erdogan said.
