Yes, Mr. Laachraoui was dead, but his DNA is very much alive and still talking to us.

On Monday, three days after Mr. Abdeslam, (sole surviving participant in the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris) was captured in Maelbeek, the Brussels neighborhood where he grew up, the authorities asked for help finding Mr. Laachraoui. But it was too late, of course, as much is in law enforcement.

The next morning, at 7:58 a.m., Mr. Laachraoui blew himself up at the Brussels International Airport. More than 30 people are believed to have been killed and dozens injured, at the Zaventem Airport and also at the Maelbeek metro station near EU headquarters .

The Belgian authorities confirming that Mr. Laachraoui was indeed dead, explained that his DNA had also been found on an explosive vest and a piece of cloth found at the Bataclan concert hall, where 90 people died, and on an explosive device at the Stade de France, where two other attackers blew themselves up on Nov. 13.

I wonder if Mr. Laachraoui would have done things any differently if he had known that his DNA would be speaking clearly to the detested authorities about the devastation he had wrought? Why did he do it?

An article in the NYTimes got me thinking about all this, Najim Laachraoui,  24, Bomb Maker for Paris and Brussels Attacks, by LILIA BLAISE and AURELIEN BREEDEN