Belgian prosecutors say the terror cell involved in the Brussels bombings had been planning to stage a new attack in France.
Mohamed Abrini - who yesterday confessed to being the "man in the hat" caught by security footage at Brussels Airport - told investigators they had planned a second strike on Paris.
But after Salah Abdeslam was arrested over suspected links to November's deadly attacks in the French capital, the terrorists focused efforts on alternative targets in Brussels.
Belgian investigators said "the goal of the terrorist group was to strike again in France", adding that the Belgium-based cell was "taken aback by the investigation" and "decided in a hurry to hit Brussels".
Mohamed Abrini was detained by police on Friday, and told investigators he was at the scene of the suicide bombings in the Belgian capital.
Abrini, who was one of six men arrested in Brussels, was also wanted in connection with the attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
Four of the arrested men have been charged with terror offences.
On Saturday evening federal prosecutors said in a statement: "The federal prosecutor is now able to confirm that Mohamed Abrini is the third man present during the attacks at Brussels National Airport. He was confronted with the results of various expert and admitted his presence at the facts."
