Carnage: At least eleven people have died and several injured after two explosions rocked Brussels Airport in a suspected terror attack
- Terrorist bomb exploded on train Maelbeek Metro at 9.19am - in heart of city's EU quarter yards from main buildings
- Belgian media use image below and claim this is the damage caused by the bomb on Tube. It has not been verified
- Shocking images show street outside the station littered with bloodied commuters all hit in rush hour bombing
- Metro commuters were evacuated from trains and forced to walk down smoke-filled tunnels to nearest safe station
- At 8am local time first suicide attack on city kills at least 14 and injures 50 more at Brussels Airport departure hall
Victim: A bloodied commuter is given oxygen and treated for a head
injury on the kerb outside the Metro station where a train was blown up
today
At least 20 people have been killed after terrorists blew up a crowded Metro train in the second devastating attack on Brussels.
Shocking
images from Maelbeek station show the mangled remains of the train,
smoke pouring out of the building and casualties littered on the
pavement outside - just 400metres from the EU's headquarters.
The
bomb went off at 9.19am - just over an hour after two explosions killed
at least 14 after a suicide attack on the Belgian capital's main
airport.
Brussels’
public transport authority has revealed that the three-carriage train
at Maelbeek was ripped apart by a single explosion, with the bomb set
off in its middle carriage.
Commuters
on the Metro at the time described hearing a loud bang before they were
evacuated from trains and forced to walk down smoke-filled tunnels and
along the track to the closest safe station.
The
image below is being used by the Belgian media who claim this is the
damage caused by the bomb at the Maelbeek Metro station in central
Brussels this morning. It has not been verified by the authorities but
is being widely circulated on social media.
Evacuation: Those on the tube network
were evacuated from smoke-filled tunnels and walked along the tracks to
the nearest station
Panic:
Commuters in the Metro described a bang, and a rush of air that made
their ears pop before they tore open the train doors and walked down the
track to the closest station
Aftermath: A man
lies stricken on the pavement as survivors kiss in relief after
surviving the bombing, which has killed at least ten
Victim: A bloodied commuter is given
oxygen and treated for a head injury on the kerb outside the Metro
station where a train was blown up today
Emergency: A victim is treated under a
blanket to keep them warm next to a woman with a h4ead injury as rescue
workers treat victims outside the Maelbeek underground station
Bravery: People injured are treated, comforted and given water by the emergency services as they help the wounded
Emergency: Victims of the Brussels
Metro bombing are treated on the pavement outside the station - yards
from the EU's main buildings
Lockdown: Rue de la Loi, which runs
outside the station, is sealed off by police and the emergency services
in the wake of the 9.19am attack
A
witness said: ‘We left Maelbeek station towards the centre at around
9.07, 9.10, when we felt an explosion which appeared to come from the
front of the train.
‘The lights went off, there was panic given what happened at Brussels airport.
‘The
doors of the train were forced open to get off the train. There was a
lot of smoke. We left via Maelbeek station. The glass doors were blown
out. The explosion must have been enormous.’
Emergency services at the scene were carrying the dead and injured out of the station on stretchers.
Alexandre
Brans, 32, who was wiping blood from his face, said: 'The metro was
leaving Maelbeek station when there was a really loud explosion. It was
panic everywhere. There were a lot of people in the metro.'
Ten people are said to have been killed at the Metro bombing at 9.19am.
Brussels resident Shigeo Sugimoto said he was one stop away from where the metro was hit and heard people shouting.
He wrote on Facebook: 'I am fine !! But i was in the metro when suddenly some one start shouting 'explosions!!! Evacuation!!!
'Ouch!!! I was just one station ahead before when explosion happened !!!!!!!!'
He posted pictures showing cars and people standing in the road and wrote: 'Maerbeek (sic) now apocalypse!!!'
Mr
Sugimoto said he saw a man with blood on his face in the vicinity of
Maelbeek station in the EU quarter, near the European Commission's main
building.
He
was at Arts-Loi station, one ahead of Maelbeek, and told the Press
Association: 'On the ground, there were already people walking every
direction to distance (themselves) from metro and the Belgian army were
there trying to make people calm.
'I
saw a guy, blood over his face, dragged by another person. Then police
start blocking the street and I could only see ambulances go and come.'
Evan Lamos was among the thousands of commuters on tube trains this morning when the network was attacked.
He
was on two stops away from Maelbeek and the passengers on his train
were evacuated from the carriages into a smoke-filled tunnel and then
walked along the tracks to the exit at the nearest station.
He said: 'There was a dull thud. We felt a blast of air and my ears popped shortly afterwards. The Metro stopped immediately'.
Rescue effort: A Maelbeek victim is carried on to a stretcher as Brussels is hit by a string of bombings
Terror attack: The second bombing in Brussels today hit Maelbeek station - where the injured lay stricken on the pavement
Mr Lamos was told that there was 'an incident on the line', suggesting that a train may have been bombed.
Ian McCafferty was on the Metro when the explosion took place in Maelbeek.
He
told Sky News: 'I was getting off at the station before Maelbeek and we
heard a very loud thud. The stations are much closer together than in
London so we heard it clearly.
'Panic
set in and people rushed off the train. We ran to the stairs and were
met by soldiers who quickly evacuated the station'.
Maelbeek is the station that most EU workers use daily.
The
European Commission's vice-president Kristalina Georgieva said meetings
were cancelled and urged people to 'stay home or inside buildings'.
The
metro station is close to the commission's Berlaymont headquarters, the
European Parliament and the European Council's Justus Lipsius building
in the Belgian capital.
Ms
Georgieva said on Twitter: 'Following situation in Brussels. EU
institutions working together to ensure security of staff&
premises.Please stay home or inside buildings.
'All
EU institutions are at alert level ORANGE - all meetings on premises
and outside cancelled, access only for staff with badges.'
Obliterated: Ceiling tiles and debris
are littered across the floor of the terminal building after twins blast
rocked the check-in area
A police officer directs passengers in
a smoke filled terminal at Brussels Airport after two explosions ripped
through the terminal
A terrified passenger cowers under a
check-in desk moments after two explosions rocked Brussels Airport in a
suicide bomb attack today
Passengers shield themselves under
bags as smoke and debris fill the terminal in the moments after the twin
blast at Brussels Airport
A
European Council tweet said: 'Closely monitoring the situation. All
meetings cancelled this morning. Priority to ensure safety of staff
& visitors.'
Witnesses
described apocalyptic scenes with blood and 'dismembered bodies
everywhere' after two blasts rocked the check-in area at Brussels
Airport at 8am (7am GMT) in a suspected suicide bombing.
There were reports of a firefight between police and the attackers who shouted in Arabic moments before detonating their bombs.
An unexploded suicide vest was later found in the rubble and a Kalashnikov rifle beside the body of a dead terrorist.
The
blasts, which detonated near the American Airlines and Brussels
Airlines check-in desks, sent shockwaves through the terminal building,
shattering windows and knocking roof tiles off the ceiling as terrified
passengers ran for their lives.
The
explosions have left countries worldwide reeling, with security placed
on high alert, flights cancelled, Eurostar services suspended and
France's border with Belgium shut down.
The
bombings come just a day after the Belgium Interior Minister warned of
possible revenge attacks after the arrest of Paris massacre suspect
Salah Abdeslam in the city on Friday.
The
attacks came just a day after a secret police dossier revealed there
could be up to 90 'kamikazes' waiting to launch suicide bomb attacks in
Europe after returning from Syria disguised as migrants.
Speaking
today, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said: 'What we feared has
happened.In this time of tragedy, this black moment for our country, I
appeal to everyone to remain calm but also to show solidarity.'
The
British Foreign Office today confirmed one Briton had died in the
explosions and another UK citizen is understood to have been injured in
the airport attack.
Carnage: At least eleven people have
died and several injured after two explosions rocked Brussels Airport in
a suspected terror attack
A soldier walks through debris after two explosion rocked a terminal building at Brussels Airport
Injured passengers are covered in blood and dust after the explosions in the terminal building
Hundreds of
terrified passengers ran from the terminal, some of them covered in
blood (left), after the blasts rocked the building at 8am
The
explosions come just a day after the Belgium Interior Minister warned of
possible revenge attacks after the arrest of Paris massacre suspect
Salah Abdeslam in the city last week.
At
the airport, shouts in Arabic were reportedly heard before the
explosions which sent shockwaves through the terminal building,
shattering windows, knocking roof tiles off the ceiling and sending
terrified passengers running for their lives.
Samir Derrouich, who works at a restaurant in the airport, told MailOnline: 'The two explosions were almost simultaneous.
'They
were both at check in desk. One was close to the Starbucks. It was
awful. There was just blood. It was like the apocalypse.'
Photographs
from inside the arrivals hall showed the floor covered in fallen tiles
and dust as bloodied people hobbled out of the airport. Others injured
were photographed lying on the floor.
Video shows terrified passengers running for their lives out of the terminal.
In
the aftermath of the explosions at the airport, thousands of people
waiting for flights this morning were penned inside the terminal as
police sealed off the shattered arrivals hall.
Fire fighters who entered the shattered building are said to have found a third unexploded device.
People
already checked-in were then slowly evacuated through emergency exits –
but were told to leave all their hand luggage as police checked bags
for more explosives.
Evacuated
air passengers are being ferried onto buses and are being driven to a
'crisis centre' away from the airport. Women and children are being
moved first.
A man lies injured on the floor after two explosions rocked the area near the American Airlines check-in desk
Air stewardesses look shocked as they flee the terminal building in the wake of the suspected suicide bombing
Pauline Deglume tweeted: 'My godfather is located at the airport and said he saw dismembered bodies everywhere.'
Dries Valaert, 30, was waiting to get his boarding pass from a check in desk when the blast struck.
He
told MailOnline: 'There was a first blast and then ten seconds later a
second explosion. It was a big big blast, the ceiling went down. It was
just 30 metres from where I was.
'I
saw people down on the ground and I just went running. I jumped over
the security fences towards the departure gates as I thought it would be
safer.
My
first intuition was to get out in case their were attackers with guns. I
saw a woman around 18 years old with a hole in her hand with blood
pouring out and a man with an injured ankle and two people down. There
was lots of panic. People were running all over the place.'
Mr
Valaert, who was flying to a business meeting in Berlin, said he
believed the bombs were hidden in suitcases that had just been checked
in.
He
said: 'The explosions were just behind the service desks, they were
blown towards us. To me it is the most realistic possibility. I don't
think it was someone with a suicide vest.'
Armed police in protective clothing combed the building for more wounded travellers and suspicious bags.
All flights are being diverted from the airport this morning as it remains on lockdown.
Armed police have arrested two men and already have CCTV of one of the Brussels airport bombers including the moment he detonated his suicide belt, MailOnline can reveal.
Every
space in the city's airport is covered by four CCTV cameras, including
the arrivals hall where at least 14 were killed and 35 were seriously
injured.
Maelbeek
station's surveillance network is also being used to pinpoint the
moment that 20 people were murdered and 55 were maimed 79 minutes later
The Belgian Foreign Ministry has confirmed they believe some of the terrorists involved are 'still at large'.
Minutes
later two suspects were held at gunpoint at Brussels North railway a
mile from Maelbeek subway. It is not yet known if they were linked to
the bombings.
A
third suspect has been arrested on a train near Amsterdam and a suspect
package at Gard du Nord in Paris delayed Eurostar services this
afternoon.
Police are already looking at hours of CCTV footage before and after the explosions as they hunt for those behind the attacks.
But
security sources said today they believe they do have video of one of
the terrorists moments before he detonated one of three bombs.
Surrounded: Two men on their knees with hands on their head are held in Brussels as the authorities
Drama:
Two men were pinned to the ground by armed police and special forces as
the hunt for members of the terror cell behind today's bombings in
Brussels started
Interventions:
The arrests came as the authorities start to round up any people deemed
a risk to the public, including here at Brussels North station - a mile
from the Maelbeek bombing
Across
the border: A suspect with his hands up is arrested as he is taken off a
train because of suspicious activity at Hoofddorp Station in Amsterdam
There
were also reports the Tihange nuclear power plant, around 90km from the
capital, is being evacuated of all non-essential staff as Belgium
raised security to its maximum level.
Police and special forces are looking for known members of any terror cell who may be planning more attacks.
They
will also round up anyone who may pose a threat to the public, or
acting suspicously, in an attempt to foil any more attacks.
Special
forces are also patrolling the streets in case of more bombings or
marauding gunmen used to kill 131 people in at least five Paris attacks
in November 13 last year.
Britain
and United States will already be playing a key role in trying to help
the Belgian authorities work out who was behind the attacks.
Both
MI5 and the CIA have stations in Brussels and its teams have 'unique
expertise' that will help trace those behind the bombings.
The National Crime Agency, Britain's FBI, will also be in the city already because of the heightened terror threat.
Tech
specialists will be scanning the phone numbers, email addresses, IP
addresses, GPS records and forums known to be used by terrorists - and
tracing links to Britain and America.
Armed
presence: A soldier with his face covered guards a road near
the Maalbeek subway station as they try to stop any further attacks
Deployment: Scores of armed forces have flooded the streets of Brussels as suspects remain at large
Since
the Paris attacks, Scotland Yard has had officers in the French capital
as well as in Brussels when it emerged the attackers were based in the
Belgian capital.
These British officers, and diplomats, will be helping with the investigation.
Armed
police have been deployed to airports, train stations, ports and border
crossings around the world in the immediate aftermath of today's
suspected suicide attacks in Brussels.
From
New York to Moscow, security measures were stepped up at transport hubs
across the globe with police and military personnel carrying out extra
high-visibility patrols and additional checks.
The
border between France and Belgium was closed, Eurostar services in and
out of Brussels were suspended and airlines to and from other
destinations were warning passengers of potential disruption as the
effects of this morning's terror attacks were felt around the world.
Train
and bus stations, ports and road checkpoints were also put on high
alert, with armed police on the streets in major global cities including
London and New York, sniffer dogs deployed and extensive border checks
put in place.
London
mayor Boris Johnson said there would be an increased security presence
at transport hubs in the city, while the country's most senior
counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said police forces across the UK
had increased their presence at key locations as a precaution in the
wake of the Brussels attacks.
And
in the US, the NYPD said it would be increasing security measures at
mass transit points, bridges and tunnels, and other landmarks following
today's attacks.
Police
and soldiers carrying guns were also seen at airports in the
Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, while in France - still shaken from the
November attacks in Paris - officers remained on high alert.
Troops
have also been deployed other key locations across Brussels as Belgium
raised its security level to 'maximum' in the wake of the attacks.
The
entire border between Belgium and France was placed on lock-down, and
the Thalys train service - which travels between France, Belgium and the
Netherlands - was halted in the wake of the explosions, the operator
said.
Dutch military police were carrying out additional high-visibility patrols at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam
Armed
officers make their way through the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras
station in London. There was an increased security presence at transport
hubs across the city
Salah
Abdeslam (left), one of the most wanted men in Europe, did plan to carry
out a suicide bomb attack at the Stade de France. However, his lawyer
claims the French prosecutors' statement alleging Abdeslam's involvement
breached his client's confidentiality
The moment of capture as Abdeslam is snared by armed officers following a tense siege in the Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels
Courtesy dailymail
Courtesy dailymail
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