Explosions in Brussels - multiple casualties

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**AlmightyWalrus**

EDIT: Not a duplicate after all.

Via the BBC. The wonky formatting is due to me being on my phone.

Brussels Zaventem airport blasts cause casualties
16 minutes ago
From the section Europe

Media captionPeople fled Brussels airport after two explosions went off
Two blasts have struck the departures area of Zaventem airport in Brussels.
The Belgian government has confirmed casualties but has given no numbers. The cause of the explosions is unknown.
Another explosion has now been reported at the Maelbeek metro station close to the EU institutions. The whole metro system has been closed.
The blasts come four days after the capture in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the jihadist attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015.
Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.
Brussels airport blasts - latest updates
Emergency services are clearing the airport completely. Belgium's Het Laatste Nieuws reports that more bombs have been found.
The airport is being evacuated and has been closed to flights.
The Belga news agency reports that shots were fired and shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions.

Media captionDamage at the departure lounge of Brussels airport
Images on social media showed smoke rising from one of the buildings, amid reports of panic as people fled the airport.
Rail transport to the facility has been halted and people have been told not to come to the airport.
All flights have been diverted.
Image copyrightPA
Image caption
The departures hall at Zaventem following the blasts

Image caption
The whole metro system has been closed following a blast at Maelbeek station
Other reports say at least one of the explosions was close to the American Airlines check-in area but this has not been confirmed.
The Belgian broadcaster RTBF quoted a witness as saying there were people injured or unconscious in the departure area, opposite the Sheraton hotel.
Niels Caignau, a Swissport employee, told Flemish broadcaster VRT: "I was on a break and heard and felt a big explosion - we have from here a view over the departure hall and saw a plume of smoke come out.
"The windows are completely shattered. People went outside in shock. It doesn't look good."
There are few reports yet about the metro blast.
Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon had said on Monday that the country was on the highest level of alert for possible revenge attacks after the capture of Salah Abdeslam.
He told Belgian radio: "We know that stopping one cell can... push others into action. We are aware of it in this case."
Zaventem airport is 11km (7 miles) north-east of Brussels and dealt with more than 23 million passengers last year.

Everything's screaming terrorists, let's hope the culprits are apprehended with all due haste.

**LordofHats**

But if both threads are duplicates, then which thread is the real Slim Shady!?

**Mr. Burning**

The guys who bombed Paris were travelling too and from Belgium and some of the guys were citizens of Belgium too.

Investigations have centred around Brussels for some time for terrorist activity.
With France tightening its borders and the ring closing on any suspects it makes sense that any attacks would have to be carried out locally. (Just my opinion).

**AlmightyWalrus**

Fixing the main post again, gimme a second.

**jhe90**

Aye, Paris is a fortress. They found a weaker city :-(

**Shadow Captain Edithae**

There is a certain irony in Brussels, the de facto capital of the EU, becoming a magnet for terrorists...

**jhe90**

Brussels media just reported on BBC . suicide boomb.

Ok. So no trouble guessing who and why

**LordofHats**

Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
There is a certain irony in Brussels, the de facto capital of the EU, becoming a magnet for terrorists...

I think that might well be the point.

At the same time, this seems sudden for retaliation. More like a plan that had already been set up, and was executed in response. Maybe some bombers got trigger happy when one of their leaders went silent?

**Mr. Burning**

LordofHats wrote:
Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
There is a certain irony in Brussels, the de facto capital of the EU, becoming a magnet for terrorists...

I think that might well be the point.

At the same time, this seems sudden for retaliation. More like a plan that had already been set up, and was executed in response. Maybe some bombers got trigger happy when one of their leaders went silent?

Brussels is a focal point for anti terror intelligence at the minute - way before the Paris attacks.

**welshhoppo**

jhe90 wrote:
Brussels media just reported on BBC . suicide boomb.

Ok. So no trouble guessing who and why

An extremist group of British People from the leave EU faction?

No judging just yet, wait for confirmation.

Still very sad, none of th major cities seem that safe any more.

**Shadow Captain Edithae**

Sounds like it happened iat the check in desks, before security. I'm surprised they haven't carried out more attacks like that, everything before security is a soft target. In fact, ANYWHERE that you get large numbers of people queing in ansmall area is a soft target.

**Da Boss**

Terrible. This was what I guess we were all worried about.

I hope the Belgians can get a grip on the situation.

**jhe90**

Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
Sounds like it happened iat the check in desks, before security. I'm surprised they haven't carried out more attacks like that, everything before security is a soft target. In fact, ANYWHERE that you get large numbers of people queing in ansmall area is a soft target.

Aye, they fo have a knack for finding any security weak point. If there's a crack they exploit it.
So how much harder is airline travel going to get?

Suprised the frothing hate mob in raqqa are not trying to claim this one. Paris was them, this maybe linked to Paris, a leader recently arrested. The dots make some sense.

**TheDraconicLord**

welshhoppo wrote:
jhe90 wrote:
Brussels media just reported on BBC . suicide boomb.

Ok. So no trouble guessing who and why

An extremist group of British People from the leave EU faction?

No judging just yet, wait for confirmation.

Yes, because there's so many different kinds of suicide bombers nowadays...

fething terrorists, I hope the Belgians can take of it without any more innocent casualties ... the terrorists, not so much.

**angelofvengeance**

Ffs. As if flying wasn't a big enough pain in the arse already.

**LethalShade**

23 casualties according to The Guardian.

**Sigvatr**

If anything, let's hope that this time, Europe wakes up and starts to strongly focus on security. Every single loss is a tragedy and anything should be done to avoid a similar event in the future.

**Gertjan**

It's one big cluster**** at the moment, the goverment is asking everyone to stay at home in the entire country, Kind of creepy this, my significant other got of the metro only half an hour before it exploded there. Can't think what would have happened if the train had run late. According to belgian media it's at least 10 dead at the Maalbeek metro hit.

To think I was at that arrival hall several times a few weeks ago, damn. Stuff like this makes it very difficult to stay neutral and humane with regards to immigrants. I know it sounds sad and all but that's the truth of it sadly enough and also the biggest casualty in all this.

And Welshoppo, since there were gunshots in Zaventem followed by shouting in Arabic I think we can safely assume that they are not brittish.

**jhe90**

I'm in a UK city right now. Plenty of police about....

**LethalShade**

Sigvatr wrote:
If anything, let's hope that this time, Europe wakes up and starts to strongly focus on security. Every single loss is a tragedy and anything should be done to avoid a similar event in the future.

Yeah... No... Maybe ?

I really don't want to see permanent laws ramping up security at the expense of personal freedoms. Terrorist threat or not.

Anyway, sincères condoléances to the Belgian people.

**Hanskrampf**

Sigvatr wrote:
If anything, let's hope that this time, Europe wakes up and starts to strongly focus on security. Every single loss is a tragedy and anything should be done to avoid a similar event in the future.

Yeah, there is no 100% security. But it's time that we do something different to approach terrorist threats, bombing and invading is obviously not working. We need to cut the support and funds from terrorist cells, reduce the support from locals in training camp countries (aka no collateral damage bombings) and start a 'propaganda offensive' against the lies and hatred terrorist leaders spread in the name of their religion.

**Lithlandis Stormcrow**

My condolences to the Belgian people.

As LethalShade mentioned, I am not sure I want increased security (or the illusion of it, anyway) at the expense of cutting back on one's personal freedom.

I am also hoping this situation doesn't spiral out of control.

**Bolognesus**

Someone in Brussels on a Dutch language forum currently reporting 20 or so LEO's have just dragged someone armed with a rifle from a car just outside his building. No confirmation yet.

**jhe90**

Bolognesus wrote:
Someone in Brussels on a Dutch language forum currently reporting 20 or so LEO's have just dragged someone armed with a rifle from a car just outside his building. No confirmation yet.

Damn, its a Paris style. Stay safe folks.

**Bolognesus**

Apparently in a side street to the Fonsny, near Brussels-South station.

**LethalShade**

Bolognesus wrote:
Apparently in a side street to the Fonsny, near Brussels-South station.

He probably wasn't the only one, if it's confirmed. Stay safe.

**TheDraconicLord**

Bolognesus wrote:
Someone in Brussels on a Dutch language forum currently reporting 20 or so LEO's have just dragged someone armed with a rifle from a car just outside his building. No confirmation yet.

Awesome work of the Belgian police, at least that one isn't murdering anyone.

**Bolognesus**

jhe90 wrote:
Bolognesus wrote:
Someone in Brussels on a Dutch language forum currently reporting 20 or so LEO's have just dragged someone armed with a rifle from a car just outside his building. No confirmation yet.

Damn, its a Paris style. Stay safe folks.

That was a fair bit the moment the second bomb went off, I'd say.

Now several train stations in the Netherlands have been locked down, either partially (individual platforms) or fully, one of them the one directly under Schiphol international airport (from what I gather). Seems like there's a concrete threat there apparently.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Concrete bomb threat at Hoofddorp train station apparently (Netherlands, fairly far up north as well - that's basically straight underneath Schiphol approach).
Station has been evacuated it seems.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Belgian Prime minister announcing restrictions on use of (operation of?) public transport (no surprise there), significant additional military presence in Brussels and surrounding areas.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dutch newspaper AD reporting IS has claimed responsibility. (Bit of a wonky source so keep that in mind for now)

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Belgian DA apparently confirming Zaventem airport explosion was a suicide bombing.

**jhe90**

TheDraconicLord wrote:
Bolognesus wrote:
Someone in Brussels on a Dutch language forum currently reporting 20 or so LEO's have just dragged someone armed with a rifle from a car just outside his building. No confirmation yet.

Awesome work of the Belgian police, at least that one isn't murdering anyone.

At this stage. Police are not always police. Only takes a quick change of uniform and they could be something far more capable.

**Dropbear Victim**

Such needless and bloody chaos...

Seen a couple reports of another explosion on a main street near parliament. Apparently it was a bomb squad successfully disposing of another bomb they found. Just how many bombs did they plant!?