The younger brother of one of the Brussels suicide bombers will compete for Belgium at the Olympic Games in Brazil after winning gold at the European Taekwondo Championships.
Mourad Laachraoui, 21, has been named in Belgium’s squad for the Games in Rio De Janeiro starting in August and will compete in the Under-58 kilogram category.
Older brother Najim, 24, was one of two bombers who blew themselves up at Brussels Airport in March.
Together with another suicide bombing on the city’s metro, the attacks killed 32 people.
Mourad said his brother was a nice, intelligent person and had given no signs of being radicalized before leaving for Syria in 2013 and breaking off contact with his family.
“You don’t choose your family,” he added. Najim is also suspected of making explosive belts for the Paris terror attacks in November which killed 130.
idr/sb Reuters
