Belgium to offer terror attack victims special help

Belgium's government approved special help for terror victims Friday, as the country prepares to mark the first anniversary of deadly Islamic State-claimed attacks in Brussels which killed 32 people. Under the proposed "national solidarity" law, victims will get financial and medical aid linked to the seriousness of their injuries, a statement said. Belgians and residents classified as "having suffered injury, physical or mental, as a result of a terrorist act" will benefit, it said. The attacks on the Brussels metro and its busy airport on March 22 last year by home-grown jihadists left hundreds of people injured, many of them seriously and who now require long term health care and rehabilitation. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the government provided emergency financial assistance for the victims. The new law, expected to be approved by parliament in coming months, will also apply to Belgian citizens hurt in attacks overseas, the statement said.