MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the Belgian military neutralized the man, who carried out a small explosion at the central train station of Brussels.
"The terrorist was identified," Jambon told RTBF broadcaster.
The attacker planned to carry out a bigger explosion and had a powerful explosive device, but failed to do so, Jambon added.
"The worst was avoided," the Belgian interior minister noted.
"He was identified as O.Z, born on January 20, 1981, he was Moroccan, he was not implicated in terrorism-related activities," Eric Van der Sypt, spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor, said.
According to Van der Sypt, the suspect acted alone.
"He acted alone at the central train station," the spokesman said, adding that the investigation would determine whether O.Z. had any help.
No link has yet been established between the terrorist attack on the Brussels train station and an attack on a gendarmerie vehicle in Paris, he added.
Van der Sypt added that the suspect lived in Molenbeek commune west of Brussels.
"A search was carried out at his residence," the spokesman said without specifying any results of the search.
The criminal case is initiated as "an attempt of terrorism murder," Van der Sypt noted, adding that a counterterrorism investigator was carrying out the probe.
Van der Sypt explained that the suspect entered the train station building at 8:39 p.m. local time (18:39 GMT). He first approached the ticket offices, then went to the passengers standing next to the stairs. He came off the group of people, then approached them again at 8:44 p.m. and detonated his suitcase.
"The suitcase caught fire immediately. The man left his baggage and went down to the platform following the head of the train station. Meanwhile, the suitcase exploded once again, more powerfully this time. It had nails and gas cylinders inside," Van der Sypt said.
Answering the journalists' questions, the spokesman said that the perpetrator "wanted to cause significantly more damage."
"He attempted to blow up the suitcase, which took fire. There was the first explosion, then [the attacker] went away, the suitcase exploded once more, more powerfully for the second time. But the damage could have been much more significant," Van der Sypt noted.
Several people behind the 2015 Paris terror attacks and 2016 Brussels blasts are known to have lived in the Molenbeek commune characterized by its Mayor Francoise Schepmans as "a breeding ground for violence." In March, local media reported citing an in-depth police investigation, that over 50 of the 1,617 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) under observation in the commune had links to radicalism and terrorism.
