BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — According to the Groupe Sud Presse newspaper, the mosque is suspected to be a venue where Islamic extremism is being preached. However, officially it was closed due to the violation of the urban construction requirements, in particular, the reconstruction of the facade of the temple, which was carried out without the permission of the district's authorities, the paper reported.
The mosque has reportedly been visited by Moroccan jihadist Ayoub El Khazzani, who had opened fire on an Amsterdam-Paris train in August, and was connected to those suspected of last year's attacks in Paris, claimed by the Daesh terrorist group, which is outlawed in many countries.
Paris suicide bomber Chakib Akrouh, who blew himself up in raid following the attacks in the French capital, was reportedly among those who had attended the Loqman Mosque.
3 October 2016, 11:53 GMT
Following the November 2015 Daesh terror attacks in Paris, Belgian police carried out a series of anti-terrorist operations, later increasing the anti-terrorism threat level to the maximum after officers detained a number of people suspected of links to the attacks in Paris.
A number of terrorists allegedly related to the Paris attacks had traveled to the French capital from Belgium. One of the key suspects, Salah Abdelsalam lived in Molenbeek, which is home to a high number of migrants and ethnic minorities.
