The Netherlands on Thursday evening confirmed that Brussels bomber Ibrahim el-Bakraoui was in the Netherlands after being sent out of Turkey last year.

Justice minister Ard van der Steur told MPs in a briefing on Thursday evening that the Turkish authorities had sent a message to the British embassy in Ankara on July 14 at 10.14 am.

The message was headlined ‘very urgent’ and said that El-Bakraoui would be ‘departing’ from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport at 10.40 am.

The message, as uploaded by broadcaster Nos, has been redacted to remove information about his date of birth and other details. It does not make any mention of a terrorist threat or why he was being sent out of Turkey. Nor did it ask the Dutch authorities to take action.

‘Bakraoui had a valid Belgian passport. He was not registered in the Dutch or international police or information services,’ Van der Steur said. ‘We were not aware of any link with the Netherlands,’ the minister said. Nor was Bakrouai deported from Turkey or under official escort.

A debate planned for Thursday evening about the Brussels attacks has been delayed until next week.