Chief Mufti of Poland Tomasz Miśkiewicz has said that EU countries should reintroduce the death penalty for terrorists, in the wake of Tuesday's fatal attacks in Brussels.

Flowers and lanterns are laid outside the Belgian embassy in Warsaw, 22 March. Photo: PAP/Bartłomiej Zborowski

“The death penalty would not be comparable to executions carried out by the Islamic State as the sentences would be meted out to those responsible for the death of innocent people,” Mufti Miśkiewicz said in an interview with the TVN 24 news channel.

“This punishment should not only be for the actual perpetrators, but also anyone who is against freedom, who propagates terrorism,” he added.

Over 30 people were killed and about 230 injured as a result of explosions at Brussels Zaventem airport and on the city's metro on Tuesday. Three Poles were among the injured.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Mufti Miśkiewcz is a descendant of Poland's small Tatar community, which has been based in the country – principally in the east – for several centuries. (nh/pk)