Brussels explosions: Isis claims airport and metro attacks – live updates

08:57


 


Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “Brussels explosions: Isis claims airport and metro attacks – live updates” was written by Matthew Weaver and Haroon Siddique, for theguardian.com on Tuesday 22nd March 2016 15.51 UTC





Belgium’s Royal Palace has confirmed that King Philippe will address the nation in a live broadcast on all television channels at 7pm (6pm GMT), writes Oliver Milne.








Bernie Sanders, currently fighting for the Democratic nomination to contest the presidential election said “the international community must come together to fight Isis”.








This video shows the aftermath of the bombing at Zaventem airport:



Video of attack on airport in Brussels

Updated





Belgian police release photo of man they wish to question



Oliver Milne writes:


Belgian police are appealing for help in identifying a potential suspect, who could have information about the attack on Zaventem airport this morning.


The unknown man, seen below dressed in white, is thought to be linked to this morning’s bombing which left at least 14 people dead.


The identity of the two other men is unknown.


The photograph was circulating on social media earlier this afternoon before Belgium’s federal prosecutor confirmed that the man in white was the subject of police inquiries.





Updated





Islamic State claims responsibility



Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the two bomb attacks in Brussels, a news agency affiliated with the group said.


Amaq agency said:


Islamic State fighters carried out a series of bombings with explosive belts and devices on Tuesday, targeting an airport and a central metro station in the centre of the Belgian capital Brussels.




Updated






Three Mormon missionaries based in Paris have been seriously injured in the Brussels attacks. Their families have been informed.









The UN official in charge of aiding Middle East refugees criticised people directing anger over the attacks at those fleeing Syria’s bloody civil war or violence elsewhere in the region.


Amin Awad, the Middle East and North Africa bureau and regional refugee coordinator for Syria, said:


To lump everybody together and say refugees are posing a security risk, that is not true. Any sort of hostilities [toward refugees] because of the Brussels attack or Paris attack is misplaced.




Updated






Rita Katz, director of the Site intelligence group, predicts that Islamic State militants will claim responsibility for the attack based on messages of support expressed on accounts linked to the group.






Updated





US official: ‘suitcase bomb at airport’



A US official says security officials believe at least one suitcase bomb was detonated at Brussels airport, AP reports.


The unnamed official confirmed a statement by a Brussels official that there is also concrete evidence of one suicide bombing at the airport on Tuesday as well.


The official said the explosives seen in Brussels appeared sophisticated. Investigators will examine them to see if they bear the same characteristics as those used in Paris last year.



Updated






Belgium’s interior minister Jan Jambon has announced three days of national mourning, writes Oliver Milne.


Jambon is expected to join Belgian prime minister Charles Michel at Zaventem airport in the next few hours, where they will tour the scene of this morning’s atrocities.



Updated






People in the surrounding area near Maelbeek metro station are still on lockdown, writes Rachel Obordo. Georgia Knapp, who works in the European commission building, arrived at Schuman, the next metro stop, just before the explosion.


“I feel very lucky but everyone is scared,” she said on WhatsApp. “We were a lot more terrified this morning and we could see smoke coming from the roof of Maalbeek station, people are just kind of in shock here. It’s very surreal. We are waiting for more information from our internal security about when we can leave. We don’t actually have a lot of information.”


Paramedics preparing to tend to the injured
Paramedics preparing to tend to the injured Photograph: Georgia Knapp

Brendon Pinch is also in the European Quarter. He walked to work this morning around the time the blasts were heard and is at work where they’ve been told to stay inside.


He said: “There were many people on the streets on their phones and looking dazed. There are constant sirens at the moment. It reminds me very much of when I worked in the City during 7/7. The confusion and upset is palpable. I’m strangely emotional, yet also quite detached. Terrorism does have quite the effect.”



Updated






Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has chaired a meeting of Scotland’s resilience committee in the wake of the attacks.





Updated






Europe’s foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, broke down in tears during a speech in Brussels.


She said it was a “a very sad day for Europe”.







Rudi Vervoort, minister-president of the Brussels-Capital region has said he feels “a horror that cannot be named” but praised the response of the Belgian people:


I would like to express my support to the victims of the attacks of this morning, at the Brussels airport in Zaventem and in the metro station Maelbeek. My thoughts are also directed to their families and closest.


This attack, without any precedent in Belgium, targeted strong symbols of its capital: its airport and its public transportation network. As a Brussels citizen, I feel a horror that cannot be named.


My greatest recognition goes to all members of the security and emergency force that are heavily mobilised to assist the victims.


I want to address our determination. We will let no one cowardly attack the values of democracy. Barbarism will be fought continuously. Brussels will overcome obscurantism.


Today, Brussels shows its true nature: an exemplar solidarity through massive blood donations, the gratuity of taxis and the numerous citizens that are opening their homes to host strangers in need on social networks.



He said that public transportation had been shut down but the authorities would do everything in their power to reopen the surface network today. He urged parents not to turn up at schools before the end of the day, saying children would be kept inside safely.


I call on the Brussels population to remain calm and to avoid all unnecessary movements.




Updated






Here’s more from Obama.







Obama offers support against ‘scourge of terrorism’



Barack Obama

Barack Obama has offered Belgium his support against the “scourge of terrorism”. He also offered his condolences in a phone call to Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel.


A read out of the call issued by the White House said:


The President reaffirmed the steadfast support of the United States for Belgium, and offered any assistance necessary in investigating these attacks and bringing those responsible to justice. The President reiterated that the United States stands together with the people of Belgium, as well as Nato and the European Union, and once again pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States in our shared commitment to defeat the scourge of terrorism.








Starbucks has said that one of the explosions appears to have occurred outside a coffee shop in Brussels airport, injuring an employee. It said in a statement:


We are deeply saddened by the senseless acts that have taken place in Brussels today.


Amidst reports of attacks targeting Brussels airport and at a metro station, initial indications are that an explosion took place outside of a store within the airport. While one partner (employee) was injured we can confirm that all our partners have been accounted for and are safe. This store and all other Starbucks stores in Brussels will remain closed until further notice.




Updated






The headquarters of the European commission will be evacuated by Belgian police at 4pm local time, according to VTM news.


The Berlaymont building, where flags were lowered to half-mast earlier today, will be emptied so that police can perform a full security sweep of the building, it said.



Labour MEP Richard Corbett is currently locked in at the nearby European parliament building.




Updated






Responding to the attacks, Pope Francis has condemned “blind violence which causes so much suffering”.


In a telegram to the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, the pope “expresses his deepest sympathy to the injured and their families, and all those who contribute to relief efforts, asking the Lord to bring them comfort and consolation in this ordeal. The Holy Father again condemns the blind violence which causes so much suffering and, imploring from God the gift of peace, he entrusts on the bereaved families and the Belgians the benefit of divine blessings.”


There has also been reaction from different faith groups in the UK.


Dr Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said:


We are shocked to hear about the terror attacks in Brussels, coming as they did only a few days after the horrific atrocities in Istanbul. I hope the killers are brought to justice and face the full force of the law.


Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and communities affected.


As we come to terms with yet another attack on European soil, we must redouble our efforts to work together to defeat terrorism wherever it comes from. These mass murderers want to divide our society and pit people against each other. We must deny them this goal at every conceivable opportunity.



The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:


In the great holy week of Christian prayer and mercy, the Brussels attacks shock all those who seek peace and justice through the terrible cruelty and utter separation from all that is of God. Once again we see the contrast between the vain efforts to terrify through indiscriminate murder, and the call of God to be those who show mercy, who seek peace and pursue it. Let us at every service this week pray for those caught up in the traumatic events at the airport and in the city of Brussels.




Updated






People write down messages at the Bourse building in the city centre of Brussels after today’s terrorist attacks
People write down messages at the Bourse building in the city centre of Brussels after today’s terrorist attacks Photograph: Belga vi/REX/Shutterstock

A square outside the Bourse in Brussels has become transformed into a giant blackboard for people to chalk messages of defiance and solidarity.





Updated






And in case you didn’t believe us earlier, here’s video of Trump’s comments.







Here’s video of part of Cameron’s statement on the attacks.







Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner to be the Democratic presidential candidate, said the attacks “strengthen our resolve to stand together to fight terrorism”.








The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said the attacks reinforced the need for “very high security” at this summer’s European football championship in France, AP reports.


Cazeneuve said that everything will be put in place during the tournament from 10 June-10 July to guarantee “collective security”.


In the wake of the Paris attacks that left 130 people dead in November, tournament organisers had already strengthened security measures and made changes to fan zones. Cazeneuve said the state would contribute up to €2m for video surveillance in the designated areas for the public.


Cazeneuve said Euro 2016 should bring “sportsmanship, festivities and security for teams, accompanying staff and spectators”.



Updated






Parents in Belgium have been told that there is no reason to panic and to pick up their children from school at the normal time, writes Oliver Milne.


Speaking to VTM News, the Flemish education minister, Hilde Crevits, said: “Parents’ concerns are understandable, but they should stay where they are. Your children are secure and safe in school.”


Crevits also told viewers that all after-school clubs and school trips had been cancelled and that extra security measures had been put in place in all schools in Brussels and Flanders.




Updated






As yet there has been no claim of responsibility, but social media accounts linked to Islamic State militants have praised the attacks, according to jihadi watcher Michael Horowitz, a security analyst at the Levantine Group.




Updated






The Belgian Taxi Drivers Union has urged its members to offer free rides to those stranded after the attacks, writes Oliver Milne.


The union tweeted: “Friends offer your services to your fellow citizens and help evacute people safely. Thank you.”








More than a hundred people were injured and at least 20 people were killed at the Maelbeek metro station, writes Oliver Milne.


Speaking at a press conference, the mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, said that at least 20 people died in the explosion at the metro station, but that it is “too early to say exactly what the number of victims will be”.


He confirmed that 106 people had been injured in the metro station blast.




Updated






The social media response to the Brussels attacks has many echoes of the reaction to the Paris attacks in November and the raid on the Charlie Hebdo magazine, writes Elena Cresci.


One of the most widely shared comes from Le Monde cartoonist Plantu:



Others have shared pictures of a crying Tintin:



Illustrators have also taken inspiration from Mannekin Pis, the landmark sculpture in Brussels of a boy urinating into a fountain.




Or this image of fries giving the middle finger:



There have also been cartoons criticising the difference between the reactions to attacks elsewhere in the world and in Europe. Ali Dilem, a cartoonist for TV5Monde and Algerian newspaper Liberté tweeted the following:



Commemorative hashtags used so far include #JeSuis



Updated






Witnesses describe explosions inside the terminal building at Brussels airport in this video.







A US official has said there are no current indications of a terror threat to the United States following the Brussels attacks, writes Spencer Ackerman.


The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), tasked with protecting the US from a domestic attack, encouraged Americans to “report any suspicious activity in their communities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities” following the attack.


DHS press secretary Marsha Catron urged public vigilance and warned that the department would “not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people”.


A White House official said President Barack Obama, currently visiting Cuba, was “apprised” of the Brussels attack and that administration officials would “continue to be in close contact with their Belgian counterparts”.




Updated






Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has added his voice to those condemning the attacks. He said:


Today, our thoughts and sympathies are with the people of Brussels.


“We stand in solidarity with the victims of these horrific attacks, their friends and families, and the men and women of the emergency services.


“We must defend our security and values in the face of such terrorist outrages, and refuse to be drawn into a cycle of violence and hatred.


“We take pride in our societies of diverse faiths, races and creeds and will not allow those who seek to divide us to succeed.”



World leaders from across the world continue to express horror at the attacks.







Updated






Flags are being flown at half-mast on UK government buildings in solidarity with Belgium, and the Belgian flag is being raised over Downing Street.


After the Cobra emergency meeting chaired by the prime minister, David Cameron’s official spokeswoman said security has been increased in the UK at airports, Dover, Calais, London St Pancras International and the east coast ports. It has also been increased at key London transport interchanges and on the tube system.



Updated






Thomas Bignal, a Briton living in Brussels, sent this video to the Guardian after being evacuated from a metro train just outside Maelbeek station, which is 400m from his office.



He said:


“People stayed reasonably calm but there were a few very scared people, calling family and friends. After a minute or two, there was lots of smoke and a plasticy smell and it became increasingly warm and difficult to breathe.


“The STIB driver came out after a minute and told everyone to wait, that there was a bomb and that we would go out through the back of the train. It then took maybe about 15 mins for everyone to get out. We then walked back through the tracks to Arts Loi, two policemen came to help a man with a walking stick and the STIB driver was really excellent.”


“On the surface, there was not any support, everyone just went their own way. The police had blocked the roads – they also told us they didn’t know much more than us and it was all a bit surreal.”



If you’re in Brussels you can share your eyewitness accounts, photos and videos or news tips direct with our journalists by clicking on the blue button in the live blog.


You can also email, text, tweet, fill in our form or contact us on WhatsApp on +447867825056.


Please think about your security first when recording and sharing your content.



Updated






The confirmed death toll from both attacks now stands at 34.


Maggie de Block, the Belgian health minister, said 14 people died and 81 were injured in the airport explosions.


The Belgian metro authority, STIB-MIVB, and emergency services said 20 people were killed in the Maelbeek metro blast. STIB-MIVB said a further 55 people were injured, including 10 critically.



Updated






An unexploded suicide vest, thought to belong to a third terrorist at Brussels airport, was discovered at the facility, according to an unconfirmed report by the private broadcaster VTM.


It was blown up in a controlled explosion by a bomb squad.



Updated






Police have conducted a controlled explosion at the Vrije University in central Brussels.







One British national injured



One British national is known to have been injured in the bomb attack on the airport in Brussels, Downing Street said.



Updated






Oliver Milne writes


Flemish news channel VTM is reporting that the Belgian justice department is warning journalists, from Belgium and abroad, not to report on ongoing police investigations which could put the lives of the public or police officers at risk.



French language newspaper Le Soir pledged that it would not report on active police operations.




Updated






Reports saying that the Royal Palace in Brussels was evacuated after the attacks were incorrect, the Belgian monarchy Twitter account says.




Updated






The Guardian’s Arthur Neslen has been speaking to health officials at a hospital where some of the injured are being treated.


I asked Renaud Mazy, the hospital CEO if they wanted soldiers diverted here to help.


He said: “I’m not requesting help – we can organise ourselves and take the right decisions – but due to the fact that it’s a hospital with lots of people in it, it’s maybe better for the authorities to send specific protection here.”


Officials set up a ‘Mash’ operation – it’s actually called Mash – where 11 people are being treated so far.


They’re expecting more and I get the sense they’re worried about more attacks. The hospital is also in a kind of lockdown. There are body searches on way in.





Updated






People in Belgium are tweeting #ikwillhelpen, “I want to help”, offering rooms and shelter to people who are stranded in Brussels because of the attacks.



Belgians are also using #PorteOuvert and #OpenHouse:



The hashtag is similar to #PorteOuvert, which was used by Parisians in the wake of November’s attacks, to offer aid to those affected with nowhere to stay.



Updated





Report: 34 dead



The death toll from both the attacks has increased to 34, according to an unconfirmed report by the Belgium broadcaster VRT.


It said 20 died in the metro attack and 14 were killed at the airport.




Updated






Donald Trump
Donald Trump Photograph: NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock

In phone calls to US television shows, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said Brussels was a once beautiful place that had become a “disaster city” and an “armed camp” before today’s attacks, writes Amanda Holpuch.


He said such changes to the city, as in Paris, showed why the US should stop letting immigrants into the country.


Trump told Fox & Friends that if he were president, “I would close up our borders to people until we figure out what’s going on.”


Pressed by NBC’s Today Show, 15 minutes later, to explain who he would prevent from entering the country, Trump said he would exclude people from Syria and people who do not have “perfect documentation”.


He did not say that he would prevent Muslims from entering the country, as he has done repeatedly in the past, but he did suggest that Muslims were responsible for terrorist attacks if they did not report neighbours’ suspicious behaviour to authorities.


If Trump were president today, he said he would give US citizens a “pep talk”.


The Today presenters asked Trump what he would do if, as in the case in Belgium, he had Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in last year’s Paris attacks, in custody.


“If they could expand the laws, I would do a lot more than waterboarding,” Trump said. “You have to get the information from people.”



Updated





Cameron says ‘we absolutely stand’ with Belgium



David Cameron says “we absolutely stand” with the Belgian people and that he has spoken to the Belgian prime minister, offering condolences and security support. He says the attacks could just as well have happened in Germany or the UK.


We face a very real terrorist threat right across the different countries of Europe and we have to meet that with everything we have.



The UK prime minister said it was too early to say whether any British people were caught up in the attacks. All necessary measures had been taken including increasing security at ports and airports, he said. The threat level to the UK, currently at its second highest level, would not be increased.


He said Ukip’s comments that the attack showed the Schengen area was a threat to UK security were “not appropriate”.



Updated






American Airlines has said the explosions at Brussels airport did not occur near its check-in desk, as some reports suggested.




Updated






The mayor of London has suggested there might be one British “casualty” but it was unclear whether he was referring to someone possibly killed or injured.



The BBC’s Norman Smith reports that a British person is reported to be injured.




Updated






CNN is reporting that the Belgian royal family has been evacuated.








Journalist Matthew Keys has put together air traffic audio of a pilot being told of the attack as his plane approached Brussels airport.




Updated





Trump and Ukip blame ‘lax’ border controls



Reuters has a little more on Donald Trump’s reaction on Fox News.


He said: “I would close up our borders … We are lax and we are foolish.”


Ukip took a similar line. Its defence spokesman, Mike Hookem, blamed the attack on freedom of movement.


He said: “This horrific act of terrorism shows that Schengen free movement and lax border controls are a threat to our security.”



Updated






An Indian woman working for Jet Airways is among the injured, India’s minister of external affairs has said.





Updated






A Kalashnikov rifle has been found in the departure hall at Zaventem airport, according to Belgian news channel RTBF.








A Slovenian diplomat is among the injured, the Slovenian foreign minister, Karl Erjavec, has told reporters.


Erjavec told a news conference that the diplomat, who was not named, was in hospital and his life was not in danger.


Media reports said the diplomat was injured in the metro blast on his way to work.



Updated






Statements from officials put the death toll at 26, with 136 wounded.


Maggie de Block, the Belgian health minister, confirmed that 11 people died and 81 were injured in the airport explosions, which the Belgian prosecutor said were caused by a suicide attack.


The Belgian metro authority, STIB-MIVB, told RTBF that at least 15 people were killed in the Maelbeek metro blast and 55 were injured, including 10 critically.



Updated






The US president, Barack Obama, who is visiting Cuba, has been briefed on the blasts.


“The president was apprised this morning of the explosions in Brussels, Belgium,” an official said after the blasts at Brussels airport and a metro station. “US officials have been and will continue to be in close contact with their Belgian counterparts.”


Meanwhile US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump reacted by saying he would “close up borders”.



Updated






Flags at the European commission have been lowered.



A spokesman for the commission said Europe was united against terrorism.




Updated






The French president, François Hollande, says the whole of Europe has been hit by today’s attack.



There has been widespread international condemnation.







Updated






Belgian TV station Ring TV has posted an appeal to people living near Zaventem airport to bring blankets, water, food and essential medical supplies to the local gym being used as a makeshift shelter, writes Oliver Milne.



Updated






Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins calls for “patience and restraint” in response to the attacks.


He writes:


The blanket media coverage assured for any act of violence is reckless. The media must “report”, but it need not go berserk in revelling in the violence caused, as it manifestly has done to Islamic State brutality. More serious, the intention of the terrorist is clearly to shut down western society, to show liberal democracy to be a sham and to invoke the persecution of Muslims. Yet that is the invariable response of the security industry to these incidents. Convinced of its potency, it dare not admit there are some things against which it cannot protect us. So when incidents occur it jerks the knee and demands ever more money and ever more power. It must not be given them.




Updated






The Eiffel Tower is to be lit up in the colours of the Belgian flag as a mark of solidarity, writes Oliver Milne.


Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, tweeted: “In solidarity with the people of Brussels, tonight Paris will light the Eiffel Tower in the colours of the Belgian flag.”




Updated






Sarah, who is locked down in one of the EU institution buildings on Rue Belliard, less than 500m from Maelbeek station, contacted us via WhatsApp.


She told us that a controlled explosion took place on Rue de la Loi very close to Maelbeek station.


The following video was taken 15 minutes after the initial explosion this morning at Maelbeek station.



If you’re in Brussels you can share your eyewitness accounts, photos and videos or news tips direct with our journalists by clicking on the blue button in the live blog.


You can also email, text, tweet, fill in our form or contact us on WhatsApp on +447867825056.


Please think about your security first when recording and sharing your content.



Updated






Police patrols at Manchester airport have been stepped up as a precaution. In a statement Manchester’s assistant chief constable John O’Hare said:


“There is no specific threat in Greater Manchester following the events this morning but we remain at a threat level of severe.


“We are working closely with Manchester airport to ensure that the appropriate response is in place and we have increased our patrols to support this.


“We will continue to review the situation and maintain our increased patrols in crowded areas, iconic locations and transport hubs.


“The events today in Brussels reinforce the need for us all to remain vigilant and report any concerns whilst continuing with normal daily life.”




Updated






The Belgian prime minister, Charles Michael, has condemned the attacks as “blind, violent and cowardly”.


He added: “We must face this challenge in solidarity, united, together.”



Updated






The federal prosecutor, Fredere Van Leeuw, confirmed that the attack at Zaventem airport was carried out by a suicide bomber but gave no details about the second blast, writes Oliver Milne.


“It is too early to discuss any more details about the attackers,” Van Leeuw told journalists at the press conference.



Updated





15 killed in metro blast



The metro operator STIB-MIVB has confirmed that 15 people were killed in the Maelbeek metro station blast.




Updated






Here’s video of passengers walking through a smoke-filled underground tunnel following an explosion at Maelbeek metro. At street level smoke can be seen rising from the underground.



Updated





Belgian PM: ‘What we feared, has happened’



Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, says terrorists have committed murder at the airport and the metro station.


“What we feared, has happened,” he said in a televised press conference.


He said it was too early to confirm casualty figures but said that there were “many dead, many injured”.


Michel confirmed that the attack at the airport was carried by a suicide bomber.


He also called for “calm and solidarity” after what he described as a “tragic moment”.




Updated






Small blasts, thought to be controlled explosions, have been heard close the Maelbeek metro. Local media said it appeared to be the work of the police bomb squad, Reuters reports.








Here’s video of a metro train being evacuated after the blast.








Brussels police have confirmed deaths at the Maelbeek metro station but they have not disclosed numbers, AP reports.


There are unconfirmed reports that 10 people were killed at the station.


Graphic images have emerged purporting to show at least one victim of the metro blast.



Updated






Here’s video of the aftermath of the blasts.







Mark Rowley
Mark Rowley Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Extra police are to be deployed at key locations in the UK, the Metropolitan police’s assistant commissioner Mark Rowley has announced.


Rowley, who is the national lead for counter-terrorism policing, said:


“As a precaution forces across the UK have increased policing presence at key locations, including transport hubs, to protect the public and provide reassurance. This is not in relation to any specific information or intelligence.


“In London specifically, the Metropolitan Police Service has mobilised additional officers, who will carry out highly visible patrols at key locations around the capital including the transport network. The number of officers deployed will be regularly assessed. These additional officers are deployed as part of reassurance measures.


“The police presence across London and the rest of the UK is constantly under review.


“We are in close liaison with the Belgium authorities and will continue to monitor the situation.


“The threat to the UK from international terrorism remains at severe as it has been since August 2014, meaning an attack is highly likely.


“We urge the public and businesses to be alert but not alarmed and report anything suspicious to the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. In an emergency always call 999.”




Updated






France is to deploy an extra 1,600 police at its borders following the Brussels attack, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has announced.


“It is essential to maintain a vigilance,” he said in a televised address.




Updated






Broken windows seen at the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport
Broken windows seen at the scene of explosions at Zaventem airport. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/Reuters
Belgian police and emergency staff arriving in the Wetstraat - Rue de la Loi, which has been evacuated after an explosion at the Maelbeek metro station
Belgian police and emergency staff arriving in the Wetstraat-rue de la Loi, which has been evacuated after an explosion at the Maelbeek metro station. Photograph: Laurie Dieffembacq/AFP/Getty Images
A victim receives first aid by rescuers near Maalbeek metro station.
A victim receives first aid by rescuers near Maalbeek metro station. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
People react outside Zavantem airport.
People react outside Zavantem airport. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

Updated






The visible police presence at London’s Heathrow airport has been stepped up, the airport has announced.


In statement a spokesman said:


“We take the safety and security of our passengers and colleagues very seriously. In the light of events in Brussels airport, we are working with the police at Heathrow who are providing a high visibility presence. We expect flights to Brussels airport to be affected and ask passengers travelling there to check their flight status with their airline.”




Updated






Donald Tusk
Donald Tusk Photograph: Xinhua / Barcroft Media

European council president Donald Tusk said the Brussels attacks “mark another low by the terrorists”.


In a statement he said:


I am appalled by the bombings this morning at Zaventem airport and the European district in Brussels which have cost several innocent lives and injured many others.


I extend my sincerest sympathies to the relatives and friends of the victims. These attacks mark another low by the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence.


The European institutions are hosted in Brussels thanks to the generosity of Belgium’s government and its people. The European Union returns this solidarity now and will fulfill its role to help Brussels, Belgium and Europe as a whole counter the terror threat which we are all facing.




Updated






There is confusion about the death toll at the Maelbeek metro station close to EU offices.


Earlier the public broadcaster VTM said 10 people were killed. But another broadcaster VRT has since reported that no one was killed in that explosion.


Passengers were injured in the blast, AP reports.


Rescue workers set up a makeshift treatment centre in a pub. Dazed and shocked morning travellers streamed from the metro entrances as police tried to set up a security cordon.


“The metro was leaving Maelbeek station for Schuman when there was a really loud explosion,” said Alexandre Brans, 32, wiping blood from his face. “It was panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the metro.”


Françoise Ledune, a spokeswoman for the Brussels Metro, said on BFM television that there appeared to have been just one explosion, in a car that was stopped at Maelbeek.


First responders ran through the street outside with two people on stretchers, their clothes badly torn.




Updated






Belgium’s federal prosecutor has confirmed that the explosions at Brussels airport were carried out by a suicide bomber, according to broadcasters VTM and RTBF reported.







All trains to Brussels stations from Paris have been cancelled, writes Angelique Chrisafis.


At Paris’s Gare du Nord station scores of passengers on a morning Thalys train ready to depart for Brussels were told to get off the train and that all international departures to Belgium had been suspended.








Were the apparent attacks revenge for Salah Abdeslam’s arrest, asks Jason Burke.


Any threat from Islamic militants to Europe may rise and fall, but does not disappear when a single figure is arrested, however much he was sought. The “major blow” struck on Friday, as senior policymakers called it, now looks less major.


Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam shot and arrested in Brussels Read more


The second is that both terrorists and those trying to stop them seek to keep the initiative. This has a practical and a psychological aspect. For counter-terrorism agencies, the aim is to get information fast enough to mount raids and sweep up suspects before they even have time to work out who among them has been picked up and who might have talked, let alone plan a new strike. Networks quickly fall apart under such relentless pressure, as was shown in Iraq in the middle of the last decade.


For the terrorists, the aim is to show they can still terrorise, mobilise and polarise with violence. This is not so much about revenge, but simply demonstrating a continued capability. They may be down but, they are saying, they are not out.




Updated






American Airlines said all of its employees and contractors are accounted for after the blast at the airport departure hall.



Here’s an aerial view of the blast site.


Aerial view of Brussels airport





There’s been some bitter reaction to the attacks in Russia, writes Shaun Walker.


The chair of the Duma’s foreign policy committee, Alexei Pushkov, tweeted: “While [Nato chief Jens] Stoltenberg, is busy fighting the imaginary ‘Russian threat’ and putting troops in Latvia, under his nose in Brussels people are blown up.”



And more Russian schadenfreude came from foreign ministryspokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who reportedly said: “You can’t support terrorists in one part of the globe and not expect them to appear in others.”




Updated






Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, has warned the Belgian public to “avoid any movement” for the time being.



Reinforcements have arrived at Michel’s office.




Updated






Brussels airport will stay closed until 6am on Wednesday.




Updated






Eurostar in London has suspended trains to and from Brussels Midi station.




Updated






Martin Schulz, president of the European parliament, has condemned what he described as “heinous attacks”.




Updated






This aerial view shows how close the metro blast was to the EU buildings in Brussels.


Brussels aerial view
Brussels aerial view





There are unconfirmed reports that 23 people have been killed in both attacks.


The Belgian broadcaster VTM said 10 people were killed in the blast at the Maelbeek metro station. Earlier, it said the death toll at the Zaventem airport in Brussels had risen to 13.


Brussels blasts
Brussels blasts

Updated






British counter-terrorism officials are watching events in Brussels as the government’s emergency committee prepares to meet, writes Vikram Dodd.


The United Kingdom threat level remains at severe, the second highest level. It means security officials assess an attack on the UK is highly likely. The UK threat level assessment is made by the joint terrorism assessment centre, which sits within MI5.


How the terrorists carried out their attacks and tactics, especially any change in tactics , will be of interest to security officials across parts of the world facing a terrorist threat.


Past attacks in Europe, for instance last November’s assault on Paris, led UK police to review the threat level. Then they left it at severe.




Updated






You can share your eyewitness accounts, photos and videos or news tips direct with our journalists by clicking on the blue button in the live blog.


You can also email, text, tweet, fill in our form or contact us on WhatsApp on +447867825056.


Please think about your security first when recording and sharing your content.



Updated





Report: 10 dead in metro blast



The Belgian broadcaster VTM says 10 people were killed in the blast at the Maelbeek station. The station is about 500 metres from the EU buildings.




Updated






Michael Ryan, head of the EU delegation to Rwanda, said he felt the Maelbeek metro blast in the next station.








The European commission has locked down its staff after the apparent attacks.


Kristalina Georgieva, the EU’s vice-president in charge of personnel, has told staff to stay inside.



Updated





Cobra to meet



David Cameron is to chair a meeting of the UK government’s emergency committee, Cobra, following the Brussels attacks.



Earlier, the prime minister expressed his shock and concern.



Updated






The death toll at the Zaventem airport in Brussels has increased to 13, according to the Belgian broadcaster VRT, with a further 35 people severely injured, Reuters reports.



Updated






An image appeared on twitter of passengers being evacuated from a train after the blast at Maelbeek metro station.


The scene in a tunnel near Maelbeek metro station in Brussels, Belgium
The scene in a tunnel near Maelbeek metro station in Brussels, Belgium Photograph: @evanlamos/PA

Updated






Brussels is in lockdown. The metro stations and airport have been closed. And now the city’s museums are also reported to have been shut.




Updated





Airport attack blamed on suicide bomber



The Belgian broadcaster VRT says the Brussels airport explosion was a suicide attack, Reuters reports. This is unconfirmed at this stage.



Updated





‘Several injured’ in metro station blast



Several people were injured in the explosion at Maelbeek metro station, AP reports.


Here’s video of the aftermath of that blast.



Metro blast

Updated





David Cameron expresses shock and concern



David Cameron has expressed his shock and concern.



Other world leaders have tweeted similar sentiments.













Sky News has the latest video from the metro station blast and the explosions at the airport.







According to French media reports, there were two explosions minutes apart just before 8am at Brussels airport – one in the departures area and one on or near the runway, writes Angelique Chrisafis.


A false ceiling collapsed, causing lots of dust and smoke.


The departures area had easy access to the public, but the runway area would have been closed to public access and raises questions about how the explosion could have happened there.



Updated





Hospital source says 10 dead



The Belgian broadcaster RTBF says up to 10 people were killed and 30 wounded in the airport explosions. It cited a hospital source for the figures, according to Reuters.






Metro system closed



The entire metro system in Brussels has been closed.




Updated





Reports of metro station blast.



There are unconfirmed reports of an attack at a Brussels metro station close to the EU buildings at Maelbeek.





Updated






Extraordinary video has emerged of the aftermath of the airport blast.




Updated






Here’s where the blasts took place.


Belgium airport map




Belgium PM ‘following minute-by-minute’



Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, says his government is monitoring the situation minute-by-minute. In a tweet he said the “top priority” was the victims of the blasts.




Updated






Le Soir confirms the terror alert level has been increased to the maximum of four.




Updated






The Belgian government has put the country on the highest alert level following the explosions, according to a reporter for the Belga news agency.




Updated





Police confirm one dead



Belgium police have confirmed that at least one person was killed in the explosion, AP reports.


“One person has died and perhaps there are several more,” a police official said.



Updated






The Belgian news agency Belga said shots were fired and there were shouts in Arabic shortly before the explosions, Reuters reports.


It provides this context:


The blasts occurred four days after the arrest in Brussels of a suspected participant in November militant attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Belgian police had been on alert for any reprisal action.


Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect for November’s Paris attacks on a stadium, cafes and a concert hall, was captured by Belgian police after a shootout on Friday.


Belgium’s interior minister, Jan Jambon, said on Monday the country was on high alert for a possible revenge attack following the capture of 26-year-old Abdeslam.


“We know that stopping one cell can … push others into action. We are aware of it in this case,” he told public radio.


French investigator François Molins told a news conference in Paris on Saturday that Abdeslam, a French citizen born and raised in Brussels, admitted to investigators he had wanted to blow himself up along with others at the Stade de France on the night of the attack claimed by Islamic State; but he later backed out.




Updated






The explosion is reported to have taken place at the American Airlines area of the departure hall.








Pictures are emerging from Brussels airport


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.
.
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Brussels airport has been closed and flights have been cancelled.








There are unconfirmed reports that 11 people have been killed in the blasts.


A local journalist cited firefighters for the death toll of 11. The Belgian news agency Belga said one person was killed and several injured.




Graphic images have emerged showing some of those injured in the blasts.



Updated






Brussels airport has confirmed there have been two explosions and that the airport has been evacuated. It also warned people to stay away from the area.




Updated





Opening summary



Welcome to our live coverage of the aftermath of two explosions at Brussels airport.


At this stage details are sketchy and the cause of the explosions is not clear.


Belgian media said several people were injured.


Video from the scene showed people running from the airport as smoke rose from the building.



Rail traffic to the airport has been suspended and planes are being prevented from landing.




Updated



guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010


Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.




Brussels explosions: Isis claims airport and metro attacks – live updates


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