Was Brussels Suspect Najim Laachraoui Arrested?

Update: On Wednesday, Belgian officials confirmed that Najim has not been arrested and is still on the run.

Earlier: In a stunning development, Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure reports that Najim Laachraoui was arrested in Brussels on Wednesday, just one day after three explosions in two locations killed dozens and injured hundreds more. According to Reuters, the Belgian paper wrote on its website that Laachraoui was detained in Anderlecht, a nearby municipality. Laachraoui was one of three suspected terrorists, and the only surviving, who carried out Tuesday's deadly attacks.

Details remained unclear as of Wednesday morning, and there was no immediate confirmation by officials of Laachraoui's arrest. The day before the Brussels attacks, Belgian prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw identified Laachraoui as a suspected accomplice of alleged Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam, a Belgian-born French national who eluded capture after last November's attacks until Friday when he was arrested by police. Abdeslam's arrest and the public identification of Laachraoui may have accelerated the timeline for Tuesday's attacks.

Belgian officials said Laachraoui, who also went by the alias Soufiane Kayal, may have been the creator of the suicide vests used in the Paris attacks. His DNA was found on all of the vests as well as in the apartment where they were made. Laachraoui was also believed to have accompanied Abdeslam to Hungary to help recruit people for terrorist plots.

Tuesday's attacks at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek metro station killed at least 34 people and injured another 250.

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