'Turkey too late in reporting suspect'

Belgium says it was only informed by Turkey about the deportation of a man who went on to become a suicide bomber when he was in the Netherlands.

Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens says Turkey did not tell his country in time about the deportation last year of Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who then took part in this week's Brussels terrorist attacks.

Turkey had informed Belgium at the end of June that El Bakraoui had been detained in that country, but he was then expelled on July 14 "without further notice and without telling us that he was going to be expelled and where to", Geens says.

"The person in question was put on a plane to Schiphol [airport in the Netherlands] ... We were only informed after the landing of the plane in Schiphol and so it was very complicated to stop him," the minister says.

"He landed with that plan and as any normal Belgian entered through Schiphol," he adds.