Suicide bombers are brothers and believed to be dead, 1 suspect still on the run
THREE explosions in Brussels on Tuesday, March 22, that killed at least 34 and wounded about 270, were conducted by two brothers and a suicide bomber linked to the Paris attacks in November.
Ibrahim El Bakraoui, 29, and his brother Khalid, 27, were Belgian nationals both known to authorities for previous crimes, USA Today reported. El Bakraoui carried out a suicide attack at Brussels Airport. Agence France-Presse reported that 24-year-old Najim Laachraoui, a Belgian who was linked to the Paris attacks in November, was confirmed by police sources as the second suicide bomber at the airport, where blasts occurred at around 8am. Investigators also believe that he was the bomb maker, European officials told CNN.
Khalid blew himself up at the Maelbeek metro station near the European Union (EU) headquarters at around 9am.
As of press time, 14 people were reportedly killed at the airport and 20 at the metro station.
Brussels police are actively seeking a third unidentified man pictured in the CCTV footage who was seen pushing a luggage trolley in the airport alongside El Bakraoui and Laachraoui. He is believed to have fled.
The police are also said to be hunting down suspects and on Wednesday, March 23, Belgian media reported that a person who may be connected to the attacks has been arrested in Anderlecht.
After the attacks, a taxi driver tipped authorities to a house in Schaerbeek, a municipality of Brussels, where they found nearly 33 pounds of explosives and about 40 gallons of chemicals used to create an explosive called TATP.
Authorities also found a computer in a trash can containing Ibrahim’s will.
“Being in a hurry, I don’t know what to do, being searched for everywhere, not being safe. If it drags on it could end up with me in a prison cell next to him,” El Bakraoui wrote. It was not immediately clear if he was referring to Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested last week for his involvement in the Paris attacks.
At least one of the bombs used in the attacks, specifically one at the airport, appeared to be stronger than those used in Paris. It blew out a number of windows in the large departure hall and shook nearby buildings, The New York Times reported.
A third bomb at the airport was neutralized “with a controlled action,” said Florence Muls, a spokeswoman for the Brussels Airport.
Adelma Tapia Ruiz, a Peruvian mother of twins, was the first victim identified from the attacks. Other confirmed deaths are Belgian law student Leopold Hecht and a man named Oliver Delespesse, CNN reported.
In response to the attacks, Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level. Flights in and out of Brussels Airport are canceled until at least Saturday, March 26, Mirror Online reported. The country is also undergoing three days of mourning.
“What we feared has happened,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters, according to the Los Angeles Times. “In this time of tragedy, this black moment for our country, I appeal to everyone to remain calm but also to show solidarity.”
Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw called the three blasts in Brussels “terrorist attacks,” according to the Associated Press.
Multiple Americans were also injured in the explosions, including three Mormon missionaries. A US service member and his family may have also been injured, though they have not been identified by the US European command, the LA Times reported.
US President Barack Obama, who was in Cuba at the time of the attacks as America works toward normalizing relations with the communist country, urged international unity in the battle against terror.
“We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to peace those who are responsible,” he said, according to CNN.
In the United States, airports and transit systems nationwide were placed on heightened alert on Tuesday due to concerns about potential copycat attacks, the LA Times reported. Among these airports include those in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Miami and Philadelphia.
In a joint statement, 28 EU leaders mourned the victims of the attack.
“It was an attack on our open democratic society.
“This latest attack only strengthens our resolve to defend the European values and tolerance from the attacks of the intolerant. We will be united and firm in the fight against hatred, violent extremism and terrorism,” the EU leaders said in the statement.
Information contained in this article is accurate as of press time.
