Early Tuesday morning, just before 8 am local time (3 am Eastern), two explosions went off in the Brussels airport killing at least 11 people.
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The blast at the subway killed at least 20 people, according to RTBF.
The blasts came days after the arrest of the top suspect in last year’s Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, in Brussels. Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.
– Authorities are increasing security throughout New York City and Long Island following explosions at the airport and subway system in the Belgian capital of Brussels.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff has called for solidarity with Belgium following the Brussels attacks that left scores dead.
On March 15, Brussels police said a suspect was killed during an anti-terror raid on a home in the southern suburb of Forest and at least one gunman was on the run. That station, near the heart of the European Union, serves a busy stretch of EU office buildings, embassies and worldwide organizations.
Emergency workers walk down Rue de la Loi after the explosion at Maelbeek metro station, which took place during rush hour.
Brussels Airport has warned people not to visit the scene and have requested all passengers stay away.
A suicide attacker struck the Zaventem airport around 9 a.m. local time, according to a federal prosecutor. “We were already fearing attacks”.
The Belga news agency reported shots were fired at the airport and there were shouts in Arabic shortly before the explosions.
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The official Twitter accounts for the European Parliament and the European Commission also issued messages, expressing worries about the situation, and pledging to stand united against terrorism. Flights are canceled, “the statement reads. Nassau County Police are intensifying patrols in all areas of mass transit, critical infrastructure, and will increase patrols at significant public events”. “Those who carried out the Paris attacks, essentially, were people that we had caught and handed over to Belgium”, he said.
