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And he said there has to be penalties for mosques that support Salafism, an ultra-orthodox religious-political ideology based on a belief in "physical" jihadism practised by some followers of the Sunni faith.

The comments, made by Yvan Mayeur, come just over a year after the terror attacks that rocked the city and its airport killing 16 people and injuring 300 more on March 22 2016.

In an interview with newspaper De Morgen, the 57-year-old Socialist Party mayor said more has to be done to combat the spread of radicalism in Europe.