Terror Attack In Belgium: Blast Kills & Injures Many In Brussels Airport & Tube Station

By: Anon.Dos Via anonhq

A piercing blast damaged the primary airport terminal in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday morning 22nd of March 2016, 8am local time. Around an hour later, an explosion struck the Maelbeek metro station, located near the political hub of the city and close to European Union institutions. More than 31 people have died, and a reported number of at least 106 people have been injured.

A day after the Belgium police found out that there was a missing suspect from the Paris attacks that hasn’t been caught yet – most likely a man who knew how to work with explosives – is roaming freely through the city of Belgium. Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française – a French broadcasting channel in Belgium – says that it is possible that this bomber might have been the same one who was involved in the Paris blasts.

Every inbound or outbound flight has been marked canceled until further notice.

A number of people who were present or witnessed the blast told Sky News that the bomb ticked off close to the American Airlines work desk that was there in the departures area. Belgian media revealed that just before the explosion took place people could hear firing and someone speaking in Arabic – but there is no further evidence present to support this ‘theory’ as the investigation is being carried out.

However, approximately one hour after the blast at the Brussels Airport, there had been accounts of another blast that took place at the Maelbeek Subway located in the center of the city and that station is near the United States Embassy as well as the European Union head office. The train station was immediately closed. And the authorities rushed to help the injured and sealed off the location to the general public. After hearing about the explosion, France was the first one to cancel all its trains going to Brussels.

 

Image Source: The Guardian – The flags at the European commission have been lowered.

Jan Jambon is a Belgian politician affiliated to the New Flemish Alliance elevated the country’s security to the highest possible tier in the aftermath of the explosions at the train station and the airport, so any other plans can be stopped before they take place. Law enforcement officials jailed one of the main suspects in the Paris assaults, on the 18th of March 2016 in Molenbeek – what once use to be a very charming neighborhood.

 

Image Source: The Guardian – The metro operator STIB-MIVB has confirmed that 15 people were killed in the Maelbeek metro station blast.

However, officials stated that they were still looking for a person, who went by the name of Najim Laachraoui – who ‘might’ have been the team’s chemist or the bomb maker. Now why are the authorities looking for him, simply because the Belgian authorities found Najim’s DNA in the bomb that was once used in the Paris attacks. The attacks that took place in the beautiful city of France are assumed to have been organized primarily in the capital of Belgium, where a small number of the attackers resided or at least had some connections. Furthermore, the airport along with the metro station blasts was naturally attributed to the Daesh (ISIS). However, the bombers whereabouts are unknown since Monday – a day before the attacks in Brussels.

Images and video clips from inside the airport building, which is situated in Zaventem, a suburban area just northeast of the main city, revealed glass panels of the terminal shattered out with smoke soaring from the open windows. While watching the BBC as it was reporting it live, people described the blast as if an extremely heavy piece of metal furniture fell from a very high height. And in many clips posted on the internet and the mainstream media, many passengers can be seen being handled by the airport staff members and been taken towards the exits. The authorities handled the situation amazingly; the environment appeared tight but organized and largely serene.

 

Image Source: The Guardian – This was the scene a short while ago, between the Arts-Lois and Maelbeek metro stations in Brussels.

However, the blast that happened inside the building was felt from even a kilometer away. The ceramic tiles and other dirt particles can be seen on the ground. Travelers were being advised by the airport security to vacate their baggage in the building and walk towards the shown exits. The situation outside the airport looked tensed; however, it was again controlled, and everyone was directed onto coaches to be moved to the emergency centers.

And this is how the world reacted to it online:

“We must face this challenge in solidarity, united, together,” – Charles Michael, the Belgian Prime Minister. If you would like more information please click here.

Source: Sky News, BBC, Le Soir, The Guardian