Brussels bombing trial opens with strong emotions

The largest trial in Belgian history kicked off on Monday with 10 men accused of involvement in a triple Islamist suicide attack in Brussels in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured more than 300. Set to last seven months, the long-awaited trial revived painful memories for those who lost loved ones or got caught up in the blasts on March 22, 2016, two of which targeted the city airport while a third hit the metro. "I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night," Christelle Giovannetti, who now wears hearing aids due to injuries she sustained in the metro bombing, told reporters. Six of the accused were found guilty in June of involvement in terror attacks in Paris in November 2015, which killed 130 people. Unlike in France, the Belgian trial will be determined by a jury not judges. Nearly 1,000 people are being represented in the Brussels hearings, underscoring how many lives were impacted by the attacks. Sylvie Ingels, who was near the first airport explosion, said she had had repeated nightmares in recent days. "If I come today it's to make this step and go beyond my fears... It's their trial but also ours. We are waiting for answers," she said. Nine of the accused are charged with multiple murders and attempted murders in a terrorist context, and face potential life sentences. One of the group is presumed to have been killed in Syria and is being tried in absentia.<br/>