Brussels Explosions

:00:09. > :00:12.been injured. This is BBC News with a special

:00:13. > :00:15.coverage of the attacks in Brussels in which authorities believe at

:00:16. > :00:21.least 34 people were killed, many dozens more injured.

:00:22. > :00:25.The explosions happened at the International Airport and then at a

:00:26. > :00:34.Metro station in Brussels. This was the aftermath in the packed

:00:35. > :00:37.departure store at the airport. There was a second bigger explosion,

:00:38. > :00:40.authorities say it was probably a suicide bomber, at least ten people

:00:41. > :00:46.were killed here, dozens more injured. About an hour later, there

:00:47. > :00:49.was another attack, this time in the Metro in the heart of Brussels close

:00:50. > :00:54.to the European Commission headquarters. 20 people are known to

:00:55. > :00:57.have died in that attack with more than 100 others injured. The city

:00:58. > :01:02.has been in lockdown with everyone being told to stay where they were.

:01:03. > :01:06.The Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michelle condemned the attacks

:01:07. > :01:23.saying it was a black day for the country -- Charles Michel.

:01:24. > :01:26.You can get the updated news online at www.bbc.co.uk/brusselsattacks.

:01:27. > :01:31.These blasts come just four days after the arrest in Brussels of the

:01:32. > :01:36.Paris terror suspect, Salah Abdeslam. The authorities believe

:01:37. > :01:39.last year's attacks in Paris which killed 130 people were largely

:01:40. > :01:45.planned in Brussels. Also that they knew that a number of other suspects

:01:46. > :01:48.were still on the run and could be ready to carry out further attacks.

:01:49. > :01:51.Frank Gardner reports. A co-ordinated terror attack

:01:52. > :01:53.in the heart of Europe. Belgium was braced for this

:01:54. > :01:57.but there may still be more to come. The dramatic arrest on Friday

:01:58. > :01:59.of the jihadist Salah Abdeslam, seen here in white, has led

:02:00. > :02:03.investigators to a grim conclusion that are more terrorist cells

:02:04. > :02:07.planning attacks in Europe Najim Laachraoui is one of two known

:02:08. > :02:12.suspects still at large. The Brussels district of Molenbeek

:02:13. > :02:15.has acted as a logistics hub for so-called Islamic State

:02:16. > :02:19.but the group has networks and supporters in every

:02:20. > :02:23.major European country. I think we are facing

:02:24. > :02:26.a severe capacity problem. We do not have the security forces

:02:27. > :02:30.to deal with all these So I think what we need

:02:31. > :02:35.is a full spectrum response, to address terrorism in a more

:02:36. > :02:39.preventative way because we cannot Last year's attack on the satirical

:02:40. > :02:48.French magazine Charlie Hebdo was a wake-up call to both French

:02:49. > :02:52.and Belgian intelligence agencies. It exposed the huge scale

:02:53. > :02:55.of Islamic State attack planning in Europe, much of it

:02:56. > :02:58.centred on Brussels. Belgian's history of terrorism

:02:59. > :03:02.includes the May 2014 attack on the Jewish Museum

:03:03. > :03:08.which led four dead. on the Jewish Museum

:03:09. > :03:10.which left four dead. In 2015, the weapons used

:03:11. > :03:12.in the Paris attacks The same year, police were fired

:03:13. > :03:18.on in the town of Verviers and now Belgium does has a particular

:03:19. > :03:22.problem concerning security, the intelligence agencies do not

:03:23. > :03:26.share enough information with police meaning attacks like

:03:27. > :03:33.today can be missed. As Belgium puts its security forces

:03:34. > :03:36.on maximum alert today, countries like Britain

:03:37. > :03:39.are offering to help. Belgium's security challenges

:03:40. > :03:59.are simply too big for it to tackle Anne McElvoy, we have heard so much

:04:00. > :04:01.from David Cameron, the French President, the Belgian President,

:04:02. > :04:07.President Obama, all weighing in, all aghast at what is happening. You

:04:08. > :04:11.get to the point of what leaders do? In the short-term, it is important,

:04:12. > :04:15.you could say these are warm words and you would expect to hear them

:04:16. > :04:20.but it's important I think that the world is seen to stand together on

:04:21. > :04:25.occasions like this and that you get a lot of the usual divisions of

:04:26. > :04:30.politics that are forgotten. I think however coming so soon after the

:04:31. > :04:33.Paris attacks, that sense of simply getting up and saying, as we heard

:04:34. > :04:38.from the French Prime Minister this morning, we are at war against

:04:39. > :04:41.terrorists, as the public is entitled and likely to say we have

:04:42. > :04:46.heard this before and where is it getting us. It's not as easy as it

:04:47. > :04:49.was in some ways. We are almost responding, George Bush's War on

:04:50. > :04:52.Terror, people could be for or against that, some didn't like that

:04:53. > :04:55.approach and thought in the end it was counterproductive to use this

:04:56. > :04:59.language, but more important is really what do you think you can do

:05:00. > :05:04.across borders and I think that is a global issue, of course it's

:05:05. > :05:07.Transatlantic but also involves very heavily the EU's relationship with

:05:08. > :05:11.the outside world and the United States. Often strained in these

:05:12. > :05:15.matters. That will come under scrutiny. That is where you get to

:05:16. > :05:18.the big questions about intelligence and intelligence-sharing and data.

:05:19. > :05:22.How much potential suspects can be tracked and should be tracked in a

:05:23. > :05:28.European system, an EU system. Exactly. Think about it this way, if

:05:29. > :05:32.we look broadly at the EU and the US, under an Obama presidency, a

:05:33. > :05:36.democrat presidency, not under the hawkish George Bush, you still see

:05:37. > :05:39.clear division which has emerged in this time of terror and the terror

:05:40. > :05:47.threat globally about how much data you can gather on sit Zibs. In other

:05:48. > :05:50.words, which of our freedoms means technology can gather more

:05:51. > :05:55.information about us and can legitimately be gathered. It's a

:05:56. > :06:02.civil rights issue still. Take Edward Snowden issues, you are right

:06:03. > :06:05.is to be sheltered from the collectd data. There is another issue which

:06:06. > :06:10.says data not only needs to be gathered but used more. Who crosses

:06:11. > :06:15.borders? Are there irregularities in paperwork? To get to those things

:06:16. > :06:20.does require penetration of data and that's going to put pressure on EU

:06:21. > :06:24.institutions, many of who have been resistant on that point. You have

:06:25. > :06:31.that versus liberty or privacy, I suppose. The issues with the migrant

:06:32. > :06:36.crisis too is borders, and the ease of travel between for example,

:06:37. > :06:39.France and Brussels? Well, it's always unpleasant and if it gets so

:06:40. > :06:44.tangled up with the question about the large and the huge wave of

:06:45. > :06:47.migration because really I think a reasonable person would be wanting

:06:48. > :06:51.to put out there the idea that migrants are in some way responsible

:06:52. > :06:55.for this. We quite often don't know who is behind the attacks... I'm

:06:56. > :07:02.talking about the fact that the conversation... But the question

:07:03. > :07:05.about mobility of the freedom of movement that great pillar of the

:07:06. > :07:08.modern EU and what it's stood for will come into question. It's

:07:09. > :07:13.possible to still want to preserve that but also to want to have more

:07:14. > :07:21.border checks and controls, they are onerous, not what most of us would

:07:22. > :07:27.have wanted and some outside London will be thinking, gosh, it's close

:07:28. > :07:33.to us, I was thinking of popping on the Eurotunnel to go there. They

:07:34. > :07:36.happen to be northern European cities and that changes our view of

:07:37. > :07:40.how much paperwork and general hassle we have to put up with at

:07:41. > :07:45.borders. I expect that will be a lively argument because it's not

:07:46. > :07:48.easy to say, I want to keep that great freedom of movement principle

:07:49. > :07:53.intact but at many stages you could be stopped and checked, on what

:07:54. > :07:58.basis though, Schengen, Schengen plus, UK warrants in Schengen? The

:07:59. > :08:01.question will be the question of how weapons and explosives were able to

:08:02. > :08:05.travel across borders because they probably didn't start out in

:08:06. > :08:09.Belgium. Briefly, David Cameron didn't want to engage understandably

:08:10. > :08:15.at this point with the political angle but we did see almost

:08:16. > :08:17.immediately people saying on social media for example, does then

:08:18. > :08:24.strengthen the case for Britain coming out of the European Union,

:08:25. > :08:28.it's going to add more fuel? It certainly will. I saw people saying

:08:29. > :08:31.this is not the day to think about that. But that probably means they

:08:32. > :08:35.are all thinking about it. I would say you can weigh it up in the

:08:36. > :08:39.perspective of those who want Brexit, they'll say we could seal

:08:40. > :08:46.ourselves off in an unspecific way from what is going on and from this.

:08:47. > :08:49.The other view is that it's powerful and from David Cameron, that this is

:08:50. > :08:56.the time we have to stand together. We have to understand that we may

:08:57. > :09:01.need to sharpen up our act of how we deal with these thingses, but we are

:09:02. > :09:07.better in there making the case than standing aside. I genuinely feel it

:09:08. > :09:10.can be argued either way and you can maximise security and have concerns

:09:11. > :09:12.about security whichever side you are on and that has to be borne in

:09:13. > :09:17.mind. Thank you very much.

:09:18. > :09:22.President Obama sent a message of support to the people of Brussels,

:09:23. > :09:25.speaking in Havana, as part of his presidential visit to Cuba.

:09:26. > :09:30.Thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the people of

:09:31. > :09:37.Belgium. We stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous

:09:38. > :09:41.attacks against innocent people. We'll do whatever is necessary to

:09:42. > :09:46.support our friend and allie Belgium in bring to justice those who're

:09:47. > :09:55.responsible. This is another reminder that the world must unite.

:09:56. > :09:58.We must be together regardless of nationality, race or faith, in

:09:59. > :10:01.fighting against the scourge of terrorism.

:10:02. > :10:06.We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of

:10:07. > :10:08.people all around the world. Here in London, the Prime Minister

:10:09. > :10:13.David Cameron gave his response to the attacks.

:10:14. > :10:15.These are appalling and savage terrorist

:10:16. > :10:18.attacks and I have just spoken to the Prime Minister of Belgium

:10:19. > :10:20.to give our condolences to the Belgian

:10:21. > :10:23.people and we stand with them at this very difficult time.

:10:24. > :10:25.These were attacks in Belgium and could just

:10:26. > :10:27.as well be attacks in Britain, France,

:10:28. > :10:30.Germany or elsewhere in Europe, and we need to stand together

:10:31. > :10:32.against these appalling terrorists and make

:10:33. > :10:39.I have made sure we can offer every support

:10:40. > :10:45.I have chaired a meeting of Cobra to make

:10:46. > :10:50.sure that we can do everything we can and there will be increased

:10:51. > :10:55.security at stations as you would expect.

:10:56. > :10:58.These are difficult times, appalling terrorists,

:10:59. > :11:02.but we must stand together to do everything we

:11:03. > :11:05.can to stop them and to make sure although they attack our way of life

:11:06. > :11:23.A claim of responsibility is being reported from a news agency that's

:11:24. > :11:26.afilliated with the so-called Islamic state.

:11:27. > :11:31.A claim of responsibility for at least two of the bomb attacks in

:11:32. > :11:35.Brussels. Islamic state fighters carried out a

:11:36. > :11:39.series of bombings with explosive belts and devices tarting an airport

:11:40. > :11:44.and Metro station in the centre. This is an agency, covered by

:11:45. > :11:47.Reuters news agency. Let's talk to a journalist in Brussels who was

:11:48. > :11:52.walking by the Metro station this morning when the explosion happened.

:11:53. > :11:57.Pick up the story from there, Simon, what happened? Hello there, hi. I

:11:58. > :12:01.was on my way into work this morning like a lot of other people, just

:12:02. > :12:07.after 9 o'clock when the explosion took place at the Maelbeek Metro

:12:08. > :12:12.station situated a few hundred metres from the European

:12:13. > :12:17.institutions. Immediately, I dashed down there to the entrance. At that

:12:18. > :12:23.point you could get very close to the entrance. There was no real

:12:24. > :12:26.police presence and you could see the injured pouring out of one of

:12:27. > :12:33.the entrances, there was a lot of smoke in the air, a lot of distress,

:12:34. > :12:38.some people were covered in blood. The paramedics took five, six

:12:39. > :12:44.minutes to arrive and so in that sort of intermediate period, you had

:12:45. > :12:51.members of the public helping. There was a nearby hotel which lent towels

:12:52. > :12:54.and sheets to those who were injured and generally, pretty chaotic scene

:12:55. > :12:58.down there. This was an hour after the attacks

:12:59. > :13:08.on the airport. Was there any doubt in your mind as to what this was?

:13:09. > :13:14.Certainly instantly I realised it was a coordinated attack in some

:13:15. > :13:20.way. I heard about the airport bombings on the bus. My daughter was

:13:21. > :13:23.on her way to creche, I took her there, I instantly jumped off TfL

:13:24. > :13:27.bus thinking it could be a coordinated attack on Brussels. In

:13:28. > :13:32.terms of what's happened in the city in the last few days, was it a huge

:13:33. > :13:36.surprise to hear that the Belgian capital itself was under this sort

:13:37. > :13:44.of attack? Well, yes and no. Obviously, this is

:13:45. > :13:49.happening in the aftermath of Salah Abdeslam's arrest, he was suspected

:13:50. > :13:56.organiser of the terrorist attacks in Paris late last year. Terrorism

:13:57. > :14:05.specialists have said that Belgium, Brussels, is somewhat of a safety

:14:06. > :14:09.zone for people wanting to carry out Jihad to formulate their plans in

:14:10. > :14:15.Europe and so simply thought it would never arrive on their

:14:16. > :14:19.doorstep. However, since the arrest that took place of Salah Abdeslam

:14:20. > :14:26.last week, the government has been saying that the state is on a high

:14:27. > :14:31.terror alert and that they were expecting attacks. As the Prime

:14:32. > :14:36.Minister said earlier in Belgium, what they feared has happened.

:14:37. > :14:44.How would you assess the mood in Brussels this afternoon? Well, the

:14:45. > :14:49.streets, I have been around the European institutions all day, the

:14:50. > :14:55.streets around here are very quiet, all cordoned off. As far as the

:14:56. > :15:00.public go, I mean, I am yet to venture out but I can only imagine

:15:01. > :15:09.that there is clearly a lot of shock. It's a country that is well

:15:10. > :15:13.used to this state of worry around terrorism, ever since the Paris

:15:14. > :15:17.attacks there's been a fugitive the police have been looking for.

:15:18. > :15:23.They've had high terror alerts in the past. This is a culmination of

:15:24. > :15:28.all of that that's resulted in actual death this time. I can only

:15:29. > :15:35.imagine that going out to public places from now on quite simply

:15:36. > :15:39.won't be the same again. I am grateful for your time. We are

:15:40. > :15:42.constantly getting more information about this unfolding story from our

:15:43. > :15:49.correspondents in Belgium and for the latest we can go to the live

:15:50. > :15:53.page on our website. Or it's on the smartphone app and

:15:54. > :15:56.you will find a summary of what's happened so far as well as footage

:15:57. > :16:01.we have of those attacks in Brussels.

:16:02. > :16:07.Joining us now on the phone from Brussels is the founder and

:16:08. > :16:09.chaircome of Sisters against Violent Extremism, a group who helps women

:16:10. > :16:14.whose relatives are drawn to extremism. She can talk to us about

:16:15. > :16:19.that. She was in the lobby of a hotel just 50 metres from the Metro

:16:20. > :16:27.explosion. Thank you for joining us. Tell us did you know immediately

:16:28. > :16:35.what was happening there? We arrived here in Brussels with our Women

:16:36. > :16:41.without Borders team to meet mothers who decided to run the programme

:16:42. > :16:47.against extremism developed and this morning we are off for celebration

:16:48. > :16:56.ceremony. We were just checking out at the lobby and the air was filled

:16:57. > :17:05.with noise, with shots and it was - you freeze in that moment and the

:17:06. > :17:09.smell, you know... The voices, the cries, everything was, you know, an

:17:10. > :17:14.indicator of what was going on. We tried to get to the exits, to the

:17:15. > :17:17.back exits because the front they already tried to seal off the front.

:17:18. > :17:23.Then we decided not to stay in the lobby which filled up with people,

:17:24. > :17:28.the hotel was already locked, we managed to get out and get away from

:17:29. > :17:35.the scene. It was kind of surreal, unreal and at the same time, you

:17:36. > :17:41.know, sad images which seemed to become more and more frequent also

:17:42. > :17:47.across the area. You are making it your life's work to talk to those

:17:48. > :17:50.who are tempted by these terror networks. From Brussels where you

:17:51. > :17:58.are speaking to me, what do you think about the way the security

:17:59. > :18:02.services are handling this? This is difficult to judge but I am really,

:18:03. > :18:07.really sure that I think we have to revisit our security concepts and

:18:08. > :18:12.that we do have to involve those who are closest to the action, those who

:18:13. > :18:17.are at the battlefield, actually at the front line, these are the family

:18:18. > :18:26.members, the mothers, the sisters, the peers of those who are at the

:18:27. > :18:31.brink and finally decide to leave for the caliphate and leave

:18:32. > :18:36.everything behind, children, schools, normalcy and swap our model

:18:37. > :18:44.of our ideals of freedom, democracy, rule of law, for the fantasy of the

:18:45. > :18:56.caliphate. This is a wake-up call for us. What we see now is

:18:57. > :19:00.consequence of our, I say sadly, inaction. We have to bring these

:19:01. > :19:08.people to the forefront. We have to be connected with them. Yesterday

:19:09. > :19:16.afternoon we spent all afternoon - one of the suburbs of Brussels and

:19:17. > :19:19.talked to a group of young Belgians who insisted there are always

:19:20. > :19:26.questions, where are you really from? Oh, Algeria, you are not

:19:27. > :19:31.really one of us. They were upset. They are the friends and peers of

:19:32. > :19:39.those who travel to Syria and they did not go. We must - these are our

:19:40. > :19:44.security allies. It is the case, as you would acknowledge, people like

:19:45. > :19:47.Salah Abdeslam and his colleagues are surviving, are being sheltered

:19:48. > :19:52.by people around them in the heart of Brussels. It is up to those

:19:53. > :19:58.people around them as well to be able to alert the authorities.

:19:59. > :20:07.Absolutely. This is actually our work in these meetings that we work

:20:08. > :20:11.with the mothers to build up the confidence and also the skills that

:20:12. > :20:16.they speak out when they see something is wrong, they relate to

:20:17. > :20:20.children, that there be empathy, they don't already feel they are on

:20:21. > :20:24.their own. No, they have to accompany them and if they witness

:20:25. > :20:32.something that is not quite right that they step up and go out and

:20:33. > :20:37.look for support. But this is a lot of tough building and this is the

:20:38. > :20:42.hard work. That's the difficulty, just finally, we are talking, we

:20:43. > :20:46.hear from leaders talking about being at war, needing to crack down

:20:47. > :20:55.and you are talking about building trust. Yes, absolutely. I think when

:20:56. > :20:59.we say, and we just heard it on the news, this is an ongoing battle. I

:21:00. > :21:03.think we have to start much earlier. This is an ongoing battle out in the

:21:04. > :21:08.streets now in Belgium and sadly we have seen it in Paris, seen it in

:21:09. > :21:13.many places, in London. The battle starts much earlier. We have to push

:21:14. > :21:19.back and we have to bring those on board who are so close to us, to the

:21:20. > :21:29.families we have to go there where they are, to their communities, to

:21:30. > :21:33.their families and actually, even - where he came from he was hiding

:21:34. > :21:39.there, a few hundred metres from his mother's house. We need to remind

:21:40. > :21:47.where they belong to and not give up on them. We need to do that early.

:21:48. > :21:53.The chairwoman of Sisters Against Violent Extremism, thank you for

:21:54. > :21:56.joining us. We can cross to our colleague for an update.

:21:57. > :22:01.Thank you very much. Before we look back over the events

:22:02. > :22:05.of the past few hours let me bring you up to date with potentially

:22:06. > :22:09.significant statement coming from the news agency run by the Islamic

:22:10. > :22:12.State group. This is the BBC breaking Twitter feed telling us

:22:13. > :22:18.that Islamic State claims responsibility for these Brussels

:22:19. > :22:24.attacks in statements issued via Amaq news agency. It's impossible to

:22:25. > :22:27.say one way or the other whether these claims of responsibility are

:22:28. > :22:32.correct, but this Amaq news agency does not have a track record of

:22:33. > :22:35.releasing statements from Islamic State which intelligence then

:22:36. > :22:41.completely undermines. So this certainly is to be taken seriously.

:22:42. > :22:43.The Islamic State group via its Amaq news agency releasing a statement

:22:44. > :22:48.claiming responsibility for the attacks that we have seen in

:22:49. > :22:52.Brussels today. Of course, if that's the case, it does what many were

:22:53. > :22:56.suspecting, it connects what's happening in Brussels with what

:22:57. > :22:59.happened in Paris at the end of last year.

:23:00. > :23:03.Let's bring ourselves up to date with how events unfolded over the

:23:04. > :23:09.past few hours. The first we heard here in the BBC Newsroom came in the

:23:10. > :23:14.form of a short piece of copy from the Reuters news agency quoting

:23:15. > :23:18.local media in Belgium telling us that two explosions had been heard

:23:19. > :23:22.at Brussels airport. The cause was unclear.

:23:23. > :23:25.At the same time, this was coming in to the newsroom, multiple messages

:23:26. > :23:29.posted on social media confirming the same thing.

:23:30. > :23:37.In fact, the explosions had taken place 18 minutes before that copy

:23:38. > :23:41.was filed at 8.00am local time in Belgium. While the emergency

:23:42. > :23:45.services tried to reach those injured, at the airport, in the

:23:46. > :23:49.centre of town, there was another explosion at Maelbeek Metro station

:23:50. > :23:53.in the middle of the city. First of all, let's concentrate on those two

:23:54. > :23:56.explosions that took place at Zaventem Airport. The main airport

:23:57. > :24:02.in Brussels, over 20 million people use it every year. So far, the

:24:03. > :24:07.authorities are saying at least 11 people lost their lives there. 81

:24:08. > :24:11.were wounded. We can look in more detail at where these explosions

:24:12. > :24:14.went off. The first was by the check-in desks. An area which any

:24:15. > :24:20.member of the public would be able to access without going through any

:24:21. > :24:25.security checks. The second explosion took place next to a

:24:26. > :24:28.nearby Starbucks cafe. Ever since those two explosions happened, video

:24:29. > :24:32.and pictures have been coming in to the newsroom as you would expect.

:24:33. > :24:36.Some from news agencies, some posted on social media, some from the BBC's

:24:37. > :24:40.own journalists. For instance, this is a video that was shot in the

:24:41. > :24:45.immediate aftermath at the airport. You can see the smoke, the debris,

:24:46. > :24:49.people running, shouting and crying. Unfortunately, in more graphic parts

:24:50. > :24:54.of that video you can see bodies lying on the floor which aren't

:24:55. > :25:00.moving. These pictures were filmed by a

:25:01. > :25:05.separate person, a man who passed them on to journalists. All these

:25:06. > :25:08.black rectangles on the floor are roofing tiles that were pushed to

:25:09. > :25:14.the floor by the power of the explosion. Again, it gives you an

:25:15. > :25:18.idea of the scale of the destruction that these two devices brought to

:25:19. > :25:21.this part of Brussels airport. Not long after the moments those were

:25:22. > :25:27.taken, this is outside the terminal now. Emergency services arriving all

:25:28. > :25:31.the time. Huge numbers of fire engines and ambulances, as would

:25:32. > :25:33.imagine. In these pictures you can really only see emergency services

:25:34. > :25:37.because they had taken control of this area. These are other pictures

:25:38. > :25:42.showing what you would expect. Hundreds and hundreds of people

:25:43. > :25:46.trying to get away from the terminal as quickly as possible. Being given

:25:47. > :25:49.some information by the authorities, although the situation was

:25:50. > :25:53.incredibly fluid at the beginning and as such many people were left

:25:54. > :25:57.standing and waiting for instruction for sometime before they were able

:25:58. > :26:01.to move on. Some of those who were at the

:26:02. > :26:04.airport, particularly those who weren't sure where they were

:26:05. > :26:10.supposed to go in the minutes that followed, were prepared to speak to

:26:11. > :26:14.local media. I was having my break. I was inside the building. We just

:26:15. > :26:18.heard a loud bang. Everything was shaking. We looked outside the

:26:19. > :26:26.window. There was smoke coming out of the departure hall. I thought I

:26:27. > :26:29.was hurt, I was hit. Then there were two people who were working at the

:26:30. > :26:34.airport. They told me to come inside. They locked the door. People

:26:35. > :26:38.started panicking and running. The only thing I was seeing was dust in

:26:39. > :26:43.the air. People running to save their lives. There were some

:26:44. > :26:49.announcements, clearly something had gone wrong. The woman's voice was

:26:50. > :26:51.like quite shaken on the intercom and that's when I know we should

:26:52. > :26:55.move. That's what was happening at the

:26:56. > :26:59.airport in Brussels. Before we go I want to talk about the Metro

:27:00. > :27:05.station. A significant development in the last few minutes. Islamic

:27:06. > :27:08.State group's own news agency, it's called Amaq, has released a

:27:09. > :27:11.statement by IS claiming responsibility for what's happened

:27:12. > :27:16.in Brussels. We have looked at the airport. Let's

:27:17. > :27:20.look at what played out in Maelbeek Metro station. Much more central,

:27:21. > :27:25.about 11 kilometres away from the airport. A train had just left

:27:26. > :27:28.Maelbeek station when a bomb exploded. We understand at least 20

:27:29. > :27:39.people died, over 100 were injured. This is 350 metres from the European

:27:40. > :27:42.headquarters. We have marked significant buildings, the

:27:43. > :27:46.Commission, the Council of the European Union, the Parliament, all

:27:47. > :27:49.within easy walking distance of where this explosion happened. There

:27:50. > :27:55.were many different stills being shared online. This is one of people

:27:56. > :28:03.working their way down through the tracks in the darkness

:28:04. > :28:07.is lots of video. Let's look at some of that. First of all, this was shot

:28:08. > :28:12.from the tracks in the tunnel as people were being helped out of one

:28:13. > :28:16.of the carriages. They're stepping down into the darkness and being led

:28:17. > :28:22.away. In the background people are shouting and crying. That was filmed

:28:23. > :28:24.by one passenger called Evan who shared the pictures. You can

:28:25. > :28:30.probably see it's busy, because this is rush hour. As you would expect, a

:28:31. > :28:34.central Brussels train would be. These pictures show the outside of

:28:35. > :28:37.the station. The scale of the explosion means that the smoke

:28:38. > :28:41.generated worked all the way through the station and out through the

:28:42. > :28:43.entrance and obviously you can see people looking concerned and trying

:28:44. > :28:48.to get information on what was happening.

:28:49. > :28:52.Emergency services were arriving within a few minutes. These are

:28:53. > :28:56.pictures taken outside the station and immediately people were being

:28:57. > :29:00.treated there and then on the pavement and been given urgent

:29:01. > :29:03.medical assistance and the police providing information which in the

:29:04. > :29:07.early stages was please stay away and let us get on with our work.

:29:08. > :29:11.Some people were comforted but really the focus was primarily on

:29:12. > :29:16.getting immediate treatment to the significant number of people who

:29:17. > :29:20.were injured. The last pictures were again people being treated but a

:29:21. > :29:23.problem for the fire engines, they were trying to get to this station

:29:24. > :29:28.but it was a busy time of the morning so it took some a while to

:29:29. > :29:32.get through the traffic and get to where they wanted to be. As you

:29:33. > :29:36.would imagine the BBC's a number of journalists working on this story

:29:37. > :29:42.across the city. You will see them here on BBC television and the news

:29:43. > :29:45.app and you can get them on social media. This is one forensics van

:29:46. > :29:53.going through the police cordon and into the area.

:29:54. > :29:56.Anna is worth following. She's updating as she is reporting. Some

:29:57. > :29:57.caught up in the attack at the Metro station have been describing their

:29:58. > :30:10.experiences. We felt a small blast of air and we

:30:11. > :30:13.heard some thudding in the distance, the Metro immediately stopped and

:30:14. > :30:18.the lights turned off, the engine turned off and a message came over

:30:19. > :30:22.the intercom saying there had been a disturbance on the line, that

:30:23. > :30:27.continued for a few minutes, people were obviously nervous. I think a

:30:28. > :30:32.lot of people like myself had been reading about the explosion of

:30:33. > :30:37.Brussels Airport and they were on their way to work. The woman who

:30:38. > :30:42.worked for the rail service said there had been an explosion and her

:30:43. > :30:48.colleague followed and I asked him where it was and he said Maelbeek.

:30:49. > :30:55.They turned off the electricity on the line, we were evacuated and we

:30:56. > :30:59.walked out the back of the carriage. There have been a broad range of

:31:00. > :31:04.condemnations from word leaders. Let's start by hearing from the

:31:05. > :31:17.Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel:

:31:18. > :31:24.Belgium and France are brought closer together, so not surprising

:31:25. > :31:32.to hear the French Prime Minister use very strong language.

:31:33. > :31:49.Anna holt began -- I was mentioning Anna Holligan, Chris Morris is our

:31:50. > :31:52.Belgian correspondent, he says a security operation is going on and

:31:53. > :31:58.the fear is there may be further attacks. Simon mentioned a few

:31:59. > :32:02.minutes ago, you can follow this story through any point on the BBC's

:32:03. > :32:06.live page. The news app or website have this.

:32:07. > :32:15.Colleagues in the newsroom pulling together all the latest information

:32:16. > :32:20.on the live pages updating for your. The Belgian Prime Minister spoke a

:32:21. > :32:24.short time ago condemning what he called blind, cowardly attacks and

:32:25. > :32:32.said people need to come together. Our first thoughts are with the

:32:33. > :32:38.victims, with their families and those who're waiting for information

:32:39. > :32:44.about their loved ones. Two attacks have happened this

:32:45. > :32:51.morning, one at 7. 10, the other at the Met row station Maelbeek and, as

:32:52. > :32:55.we speak, the crisis centre because of security situation, we are trying

:32:56. > :33:05.to stabilise the situation -- Metro Centre. Our thoughts are going

:33:06. > :33:09.towards other locations. The first urgent action is to provide

:33:10. > :33:17.treatment for the victims, to evacuate the victims of this attack

:33:18. > :33:23.towards various hospitals and we know that probably we are talking

:33:24. > :33:29.about scores of dead, scores of injured persons and some of them

:33:30. > :33:37.seriously injured. The authorities are evaluating the

:33:38. > :33:39.threat and raised it to the level four and additional security

:33:40. > :33:46.measures are being taken as we speak. Military enforcement is being

:33:47. > :33:51.deployed. Reinforcement of our border controls are in action and

:33:52. > :33:56.especially measures regarding public transport are being put in place

:33:57. > :34:03.now, as we speak. I would like to tell you, this type

:34:04. > :34:08.of tragic moment, this black moment in our country, never before I would

:34:09. > :34:15.like to call on everybody to show calmness and solidarity. We are

:34:16. > :34:23.facing a challenging time, difficult challenging time, and we should face

:34:24. > :34:28.up to this challenge by being united, solitary and also coming

:34:29. > :34:35.together. We'll continue to follow the situation minute by minute with

:34:36. > :34:38.different Security Services, with different rescue services. I would

:34:39. > :34:42.like the thank the Security Services for the work that they have done so

:34:43. > :34:51.far and I would like to tell you once again how we are determined to

:34:52. > :34:56.face this situation and manage this situation and to deal with it as

:34:57. > :35:01.best as possible. The French President, Francois

:35:02. > :35:05.Hollande, has condemned the attacks, saying Belgium has been struck but

:35:06. > :35:12.it's Europe that's been target and the whole world should be concerned.

:35:13. > :35:15.Jay attacks have been perpetrated which left a number of dead and

:35:16. > :35:35.dozens of injured. I would like the families who're

:35:36. > :35:41.worried about their loved ones, our thoughts are with them.

:35:42. > :35:46.The terrorists have struck Belgium, but it's Europe which has been

:35:47. > :35:56.targeted, it's the whole world which is concerned with this. We should

:35:57. > :36:05.take conscience of the magnitude and gravity of the threat, terrorist

:36:06. > :36:14.threat. These attacks follow others. Paris was particularly targeted last

:36:15. > :36:18.year, last January and in November. Other continents suffer the same

:36:19. > :36:26.pain, especially in Africa. But we are facing a global threat which

:36:27. > :36:32.necessitates and requires a global response. France and Belgium are

:36:33. > :36:42.linked with horror that we are sharing once again. I have reassured

:36:43. > :36:47.the Belgian government of our full support that we are providing them

:36:48. > :36:51.with all the necessary means, but the war against the terrorists

:36:52. > :36:56.should be carried out throughout Europe, the whole of Europe using

:36:57. > :37:03.all the necessary means and especially intelligence information.

:37:04. > :37:06.With me now is the managing director of a global security and risk firm

:37:07. > :37:12.for governments and multinationals. Thank you for coming in. I think you

:37:13. > :37:17.flew through Brussels last week. What assessment would you have of

:37:18. > :37:23.the security that was in place? Look, being paranoid as I am, when

:37:24. > :37:27.walking into the terminal, I felt very unsafe and probably a soft

:37:28. > :37:32.target, especially in the light of all the threats that Belgium has

:37:33. > :37:36.weathered. The same goes with the Metro that I was taking, there was

:37:37. > :37:40.no security and we know that the transport system has been time and

:37:41. > :37:45.time again attacked by terrorists. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

:37:46. > :37:49.Where, which airports in the world, do you suggest have the right sort

:37:50. > :37:53.of security that might have preevened something like this? Look,

:37:54. > :37:57.Moscow and Tel Aviv are two good airports because they have metal

:37:58. > :38:04.detectors even before you get into the terminal. That should be looked

:38:05. > :38:10.at by a lot of airports. Most probably what is telling is the fact

:38:11. > :38:15.that after getting some in test l, the Belgian authorities didn't raise

:38:16. > :38:18.the terror alert after they arrested Salah Abdeslam on Thursday, they

:38:19. > :38:23.should have raised it to level four. We were hearing there's been a claim

:38:24. > :38:28.by Islamic state that they carried out today's attack, to great

:38:29. > :38:33.surprise in that? Not at all. Most likely this attack today was pushed

:38:34. > :38:38.forward because of Salah Abdeslam's arrest. He may have talked to

:38:39. > :38:43.Security Services and they were concerned that they would be on to

:38:44. > :38:47.them, so it's a suggestion that they could have moved up their attacks.

:38:48. > :38:52.And move them very quickly after his arrest. Now, what does that suggest

:38:53. > :38:56.to you in terms of the numbers of terrorists there are who're able to

:38:57. > :39:03.carry out these attacks? You are totally correct. We are talking

:39:04. > :39:10.about potentially 30 Jihadists. 30? Yes, 30, in Brussels that could be

:39:11. > :39:15.targeting and Security Services have warned about the problem and how

:39:16. > :39:20.over extended they are to tackle the threat.

:39:21. > :39:22.We are just hearing and we were just talking about security at the

:39:23. > :39:25.airport, there is a news conference going on with the head of airport

:39:26. > :39:36.security in Belgium, let's hear what he has to say.

:39:37. > :39:43.While we establish the sound with that, Olivier, it's a difficult

:39:44. > :39:49.balance isn't it? Security and yet also making sure people can travel

:39:50. > :39:55.relatively free of hassle? Yes. That has been the problem. But, the way

:39:56. > :39:58.to do it is either you get human intelligence to the level that we

:39:59. > :40:04.should have and that we had ten years ago, 15 years ago, and that we

:40:05. > :40:08.can protect people in the best way, shape or form, or people will have

:40:09. > :40:12.to curtail some of their freedoms and, after the Paris attacks, 80% of

:40:13. > :40:16.the French people were ready to curtail some of their freedoms in

:40:17. > :40:19.the name of security. Are you surprised, given the attention

:40:20. > :40:26.there's been on Brussels recently, after the attacks in Paris, that a

:40:27. > :40:30.city which was seen as a hub, a centre of the very Jihadists who

:40:31. > :40:35.were carrying out these attack, the city has become a target? Yes and no

:40:36. > :40:40.because at some point you have to remember that the first Jihadi

:40:41. > :40:45.attacks from a returning from Iraq and Syria happened in Brussels. I

:40:46. > :40:57.think we can now hear the translator.

:40:58. > :41:10.This morning at 8am, two bombs went off in the departure hall.

:41:11. > :41:23.There were several killed, ten, 11 killed and there were others

:41:24. > :41:32.injured. We'd like to thank all those who have worked consistently

:41:33. > :41:35.to help those in need. Particularly helping all those passengers who

:41:36. > :41:45.were there at the time. The airport has been closed since this morning

:41:46. > :41:57.following the attack. All flights have been cancelled. We hope to

:41:58. > :42:10.start off operations the day after tomorrow.

:42:11. > :42:43.We'll allow a few questions, not too many.

:42:44. > :42:51.Some questions being taken there. I want to pick up on that, he's saying

:42:52. > :42:53.the airport will re-open on Thursday. What needs to have

:42:54. > :43:00.changed, in your view, at the airport, by then? Look, obviously

:43:01. > :43:07.they are not going to be able to install metal detectors by Thursday,

:43:08. > :43:12.but there'll have to be a plan to basically make the terminal safe

:43:13. > :43:18.from outside people that do not have a ticket as well. We don't know yet

:43:19. > :43:21.if the perpetrators had tickets too fly somewhere, but that will save a

:43:22. > :43:26.little bit of hassle for the airport.

:43:27. > :43:31.And in terms of the city of Brussels itself, what will we see on the

:43:32. > :43:36.streets now? Hindsight is wonderful, but do things need to change?

:43:37. > :43:41.Look, unfortunately, on the streets, the Belgians have done whatever they

:43:42. > :43:46.could do because you have the Army patrolling all over and it looks

:43:47. > :43:52.like a war zone since December, so there's not much that they can do.

:43:53. > :43:57.What they can do is really implement the train station, the security on

:43:58. > :44:02.the train station that is still lack major basic security. Thank you very

:44:03. > :44:15.much. You are watching a BBC News special.

:44:16. > :44:19.At least 31 people have been killed and dozens injured, many seriously,

:44:20. > :44:23.in a series of bomb attacks in Brussels.

:44:24. > :44:28.There has been panic and confusion in large parts of the Belgian

:44:29. > :44:33.capital. The departure hall at Brussels airport the scene of two

:44:34. > :44:36.explosions at just after oat.00am this morning. That happened --

:44:37. > :44:39.8.00am this morning. That happened as passengers were checking in.

:44:40. > :44:42.Authorities believe at least one of the explosion at thes airport was a

:44:43. > :44:47.suicide bomb. We have just heard from the man who is in charge of

:44:48. > :44:52.security at the airport. He said that ten or 11 people have been

:44:53. > :45:00.killed at the airport. You are watching a BBC News special.

:45:01. > :45:03.At least 31 people have been killed and dozens injured, some seriously,

:45:04. > :45:08.in a series of bomb attacks in Brussels.

:45:09. > :45:12.Panic and confusion, this is the scene in the departure hall at

:45:13. > :45:15.Brussels airport moments after the first two explosions.

:45:16. > :45:19.I heard one shot fired and then someone shouted some words in Arabic

:45:20. > :45:23.followed by a huge ex-police station and then people started to flee

:45:24. > :45:27.towards the lifts and escalators. -- a huge explosion. The blasts

:45:28. > :45:31.happened as passengers were checking in. They killed ten or 11 people.

:45:32. > :45:35.Authorities believe at least one blast was a suicide bomb.

:45:36. > :45:38.An hour later, 20 people were killed when a third bomb exploded on a

:45:39. > :45:43.packed underground train. Survivors were helped through a tunnel to

:45:44. > :45:51.safety. I was in the Metro heading to

:45:52. > :45:57.Maelbeek. We received a big blast of air and the train stopped. The

:45:58. > :46:02.so-called Islamic State is reported to have claimed responsibility for

:46:03. > :46:07.the blasts. The Belgian Prime Minister has condemned the attacks.

:46:08. > :46:13.This tragic moment, this black moment in our country, I would like

:46:14. > :46:28.to call on everybody to show calmness and and solidarity.

:46:29. > :46:35.Welcome to BBC News. There have been a series of bomb attacks in Brussels

:46:36. > :46:38.which have left at least 31 people dead and more than 100 injured.

:46:39. > :46:41.Within the past hour, a news agency thought to have links with the

:46:42. > :46:46.so-called Islamic State has said the group is claiming responsibility for

:46:47. > :46:50.the attack. The first explosions were at the

:46:51. > :46:54.international airport at around 8.00am local time. The hall was full

:46:55. > :46:59.of queuing passengers when there were two blasts at least one of them

:47:00. > :47:05.was a suicide bomber. At least 11 people died here. Then, away from

:47:06. > :47:09.the airport, in central Brussels, another blast about 9.00am local

:47:10. > :47:13.time. This time at one of the busiest locations on the underground

:47:14. > :47:17.transport system at Maelbeek Metro station. The city's mayor says 20

:47:18. > :47:22.more people died there and dozens injured. Maelbeek is just a few

:47:23. > :47:24.hundred metres away from some of the most important buildings of the

:47:25. > :47:29.European Union. The explosions come four days after

:47:30. > :47:32.the arrest in a Brussels suburb of the Paris terror suspect Salah

:47:33. > :47:38.Abdeslam. The Belgian Prime Minister has called the attacks a dark moment

:47:39. > :47:42.for the nation. We can go now to Brussels and to our colleague there.

:47:43. > :47:46.Thank you very much. I have just walked through the centre of

:47:47. > :47:49.Brussels. The heart of the European institutions in what is the sort of

:47:50. > :47:55.administerive capital of the European Union. I can tell you it is

:47:56. > :47:58.the most extraordinary eerie and sombre atmosphere. There are armed

:47:59. > :48:04.troops on the streets, armed police, as well. Not many people and not

:48:05. > :48:08.much traffic. This city has been in virtual lockdown since early this

:48:09. > :48:13.morning. It's just beginning to change. We have heard that two of

:48:14. > :48:18.the Metro lines are about to reopen. Essentially, this is a city that is

:48:19. > :48:24.in full security emergency mode. As you say, it is now known that at

:48:25. > :48:28.least 31 people died in the attacks at the airport and at the Metro

:48:29. > :48:34.station, which just behind these buildings, in the centre of

:48:35. > :48:39.Brussels, that Metro attack took place around 9.00am this morning,

:48:40. > :48:45.the airport attack. Two explosions at the airport. That took place at

:48:46. > :48:51.8.00am. We can bring you the latest pictures widely shown on Belgian

:48:52. > :48:56.media right now. That's a grainy image of three individuals seen at

:48:57. > :49:01.the airport who are believed to have been the men behind the attack at

:49:02. > :49:04.Zaventem airport. That is not officially confirmed but it's widely

:49:05. > :49:11.reported right now on Belgian media sources. It's been an extraordinary

:49:12. > :49:15.complicated day but in essence the events started with the attack at

:49:16. > :49:20.the airport. We have been following it hour by hour here in Brussels.

:49:21. > :49:21.Our reporter Johnny Diamond has compiled this report piecing

:49:22. > :49:29.together what has happened here. A departure lounge

:49:30. > :49:36.becomes a war zones. Travellers cower in fear

:49:37. > :49:45.of further attack. Two bombs had ripped

:49:46. > :49:49.through the building. The bombs blew out the windows

:49:50. > :50:05.and they brought down the ceiling. First we thought it was

:50:06. > :50:11.a billboard falling down. It was 20 centimetres from me,

:50:12. > :50:17.it was a big explosion. I thought I was hurt,

:50:18. > :50:29.I was hit. And then there were two people

:50:30. > :50:34.working on the airport. They told me to come

:50:35. > :50:36.inside and they locked the door and behind a little gap,

:50:37. > :50:41.I saw a soldier putting away a body, I hope he was not dead

:50:42. > :50:44.and he was just hit. Guns at the ready, the army

:50:45. > :50:49.and the police watch over passengers evacuated from the bombed

:50:50. > :50:52.airport as the mayhem There was one gunshot

:50:53. > :51:03.after the first explosion. And one man was speaking Arabic

:51:04. > :51:06.afterwards and I heard It was, said Belgium's Prime

:51:07. > :51:20.Minister, a black day. TRANSLATION: Our country

:51:21. > :51:23.and our citizens have been struck by attacks, blind attacks,

:51:24. > :51:32.violent and cowardly. And our first thoughts go

:51:33. > :51:35.to the victims, with their families. Brussels is on the highest

:51:36. > :51:37.state of alert. The military has

:51:38. > :51:40.sent reinforcements. Public transport has ceased

:51:41. > :51:47.in Europe's capital, flights suspended,

:51:48. > :51:48.the Eurostar halted. Europe, says the French Prime

:51:49. > :52:04.Minister, is at war, The emergency here is very apparent

:52:05. > :52:09.on the streets. We have just had a motorcade of police ride by us here

:52:10. > :52:14.in the centre of Brussels. In fact, right here this is the building, the

:52:15. > :52:18.headquarters of the European Commission just over there. That's

:52:19. > :52:22.the Council of Europe headquarters. We are really at the heart of

:52:23. > :52:29.Europe. The Metro attack took place a couple of hundred metres down

:52:30. > :52:34.there. So, the terrorists who launched this attack were quite

:52:35. > :52:37.aware they were striking at the very heart of the European Union, as well

:52:38. > :52:40.as, of course, the capital city of Belgium. To give you a little bit

:52:41. > :52:46.more information about what's happening, the airport, of course,

:52:47. > :52:48.Zaventem International Airport, completely closed down right now. We

:52:49. > :52:53.understand there is no way there are going to be any flights in or out of

:52:54. > :52:58.Zaventem Airport until tomorrow morning at the earliest. The trains

:52:59. > :53:02.are completely closed down here in Brussels. There are indications that

:53:03. > :53:05.the Metro system, at least two lines of the Metro are about to open, if

:53:06. > :53:10.they're not running already. There is traffic on the streets. When I

:53:11. > :53:13.was walking about an hour ago there were hardly any cars around but

:53:14. > :53:18.there are cars beginning to use the streets and certainly people are

:53:19. > :53:22.beginning to leave work and many of them are walking because public

:53:23. > :53:27.transport, the public buses are not operating normally, of course. It's

:53:28. > :53:32.a very strange atmosphere here. I suppose for the next report we ought

:53:33. > :53:37.to focus on the attack which appears to have killed the most people, 20

:53:38. > :53:41.believed to have been killed in the Maelbeek Metro attack. As I keep

:53:42. > :53:47.saying, it's extraordinary just how close to the European institutions

:53:48. > :53:51.the Maelbeek attack was. The events at Maelbeek and the bloody scenes

:53:52. > :53:59.they're reported on now by Christian Fraser.

:54:00. > :54:02.The screams of a traumatised child emerging from a packed commuter

:54:03. > :54:05.train in the immediate aftermath of an explosion.

:54:06. > :54:11.The other passengers set off on foot into a tunnel filled with smoke.

:54:12. > :54:14.They follow the lights but they do not know

:54:15. > :54:23.where they are going or what they are walking into.

:54:24. > :54:25.The bomb had been placed in the middle of a three-carriage

:54:26. > :54:33.train that was leaving the platform below.

:54:34. > :54:36.Above them at street level, pandemonium.

:54:37. > :54:40.The metro station is Maelbeek, just 500 metres from

:54:41. > :54:53.neighbouring stations thought they were also under attack.

:54:54. > :54:56.There was a loud muffled noise, very audible.

:54:57. > :55:00.There was initial panic but there was so much construction

:55:01. > :55:03.as they build over Brussels all the time it is hard to discern

:55:04. > :55:06.There was a lot of dust and smoke almost immediately

:55:07. > :55:12.I was in the metro heading from Charleroi to Maelbeek.

:55:13. > :55:16.We received a big blast of air and the train stopped.

:55:17. > :55:18.We had the normal recording announcements, we have just had

:55:19. > :55:25.an incident, we are trying to resolve the issue,

:55:26. > :55:27.We waited and smoke entered the carriages.

:55:28. > :55:41.The bomb went off in a confined space at the peak of the morning

:55:42. > :55:44.rush-hour, as thousands headed into work in the diplomatic quarter.

:55:45. > :55:49.As first responders arrived, the smoke was still billowing

:55:50. > :55:51.from the entrance, these were the walking wounded,

:55:52. > :55:54.but inside there were horrific injuries.

:55:55. > :56:02.20 people are reported killed and over 50 wounded.

:56:03. > :56:04.Until this point, the Belgian capital was a hub for jihadis,

:56:05. > :56:11.It is clear now that Salah Abdeslam was a small cog in a much bigger

:56:12. > :56:13.terrorist industry, still not fully understood

:56:14. > :56:33.Let me now bring you the very latest we are getting from the airport. The

:56:34. > :56:37.airport attack which started this episode at 8.00am local time. The

:56:38. > :56:41.authorities have confirmed they found a third explosive device, some

:56:42. > :56:45.sort of a bomb, which they have detonated in a controlled explosion

:56:46. > :56:51.themselves. There was a third bomb at the airport. We have also heard

:56:52. > :56:55.multiple reports suggesting that at least one Kalashnikov automatic

:56:56. > :56:59.rifle was found at the airport. Some reports suggest a suicide belt was

:57:00. > :57:03.also found at the airport. It's clear from reports and from some

:57:04. > :57:07.injuries that have been brought in to Brussels hospitals that nails had

:57:08. > :57:12.been placed in at least one of the two bombs that went off inside the

:57:13. > :57:18.departure hall at the airport. This clearly was an attack which was in

:57:19. > :57:23.terms of the people who launched it very carefully planned to cause

:57:24. > :57:27.maximum casualties, maximum damage. That is the latest on the airport. I

:57:28. > :57:29.am going to bring in our Europe correspondent Chris Morris who has

:57:30. > :57:36.been following this story through the day. I want to mention something

:57:37. > :57:47.that Christian Fraser reported on, that is the degree to which we know

:57:48. > :57:49.Brussels has been a centre of an So-called Isis terror network, I

:57:50. > :57:53.wonder how you see that being linked to today? Across Europe security

:57:54. > :57:57.officials have been bracing themselves for another attack in the

:57:58. > :58:00.last few months. It's always a tremendous unsettling shock when it

:58:01. > :58:05.actually happens. Is it a surprise it's here in Brussels? Probably not.

:58:06. > :58:09.Don't forget it's four days since Salah Abdeslam, the main surviving

:58:10. > :58:13.suspect from the Paris attacks last year, was arrested here in Brussels.

:58:14. > :58:17.A couple of miles away from here. Was this a revenge, if you like, in

:58:18. > :58:20.response to that arrest? A lot of security officials are saying it was

:58:21. > :58:24.probably too soon to organise an attack like this simply in response

:58:25. > :58:28.to that. But there may well have been an attack in the works which

:58:29. > :58:31.was speeded up then by a terrorist cell who feared this arrest could

:58:32. > :58:35.blow their cover. I think either way you look at the fact they had

:58:36. > :58:40.weapons, they had explosives, they had the people in place ready to do

:58:41. > :58:43.this. It shows how much planning had already taken place and how big the

:58:44. > :58:46.intelligence gaps still are in many places, including Brussels, about

:58:47. > :58:53.what confronts them. That phrase intelligence gaps is something that

:58:54. > :58:56.is really in my mind today. We know that both Belgian intelligence and

:58:57. > :59:01.police services and French authorities have been so focussed on

:59:02. > :59:04.Brussels, particularly the nand neighbourhood of Molenbeek where

:59:05. > :59:07.Salah Abdeslam and others had their operational headquarters, it seems

:59:08. > :59:11.extraordinary that there appears to have been so little intelligence

:59:12. > :59:15.penetration of the networks here in Brussels. It's a real problem. It's

:59:16. > :59:19.a problem that was discussed in detail after the Paris attacks, the

:59:20. > :59:22.lack of co-ordination between different levels of security at

:59:23. > :59:26.different levels of Government in Belgium. A key is co-operation

:59:27. > :59:31.between different EU countries. We just had a statement issued by all

:59:32. > :59:34.28 EU leaders which says, unsurprisingly, this is an attack on

:59:35. > :59:38.our open democratic societies and we will redouble our efforts, this

:59:39. > :59:42.strengthens our resolve to protect those values. They need to make sure

:59:43. > :59:46.that different countries share intelligence in the best way. There

:59:47. > :59:49.are certainly very strong suggestions that didn't happen in

:59:50. > :59:52.advance of the Paris attacks. We don't know yet whether there could

:59:53. > :59:55.have been a way to prevent this. It's difficult. You have been

:59:56. > :59:59.through Brussels airport many times, so have I, I go on the Metro every

:00:00. > :00:06.day. There isn't security at every door and every gate. There isn't. A

:00:07. > :00:10.lot of people are asking is, is Belgium-- and Europe going to have

:00:11. > :00:12.to rethink the way it approaches security around key bits of public

:00:13. > :00:16.infrastructure and buildings like the one behind you, the Commission

:00:17. > :00:19.headquarters here? One of the things people always say after terrorist

:00:20. > :00:24.attacks is we shouldn't let these people change our way of life. In

:00:25. > :00:28.some ways the way of life will have to change, if there have to be more

:00:29. > :00:30.security checks, a debate about perhaps more intrusive means of

:00:31. > :00:33.gathering intelligence. That's been a debate that's already started

:00:34. > :00:50.since the Paris attacks at the end of the year and the attack on

:00:51. > :00:53.Charlie Hebdo. The French said World -- said Europe is in war. You are

:00:54. > :00:59.talking about the military on streets. The camera can't show it

:01:00. > :01:02.but next to us there are two heavily armed soldiers. Is that something we

:01:03. > :01:05.now need to start regarding as normal?

:01:06. > :01:12.It is perhaps the new normal. The police have been around here, around

:01:13. > :01:16.the EU institutions and the main shopping areas for the last few

:01:17. > :01:23.months. When it first happened it was a bit of a shock. There are guys

:01:24. > :01:27.in khaki, members of the full-time military, you get used to it quickly

:01:28. > :01:31.and even today, when I was cycling in because there was no transport to

:01:32. > :01:36.get in on, a sense of stoicism, we are going to get on with things but

:01:37. > :01:40.you can't deny you have to get on with things in the context when some

:01:41. > :01:44.things change. Thank you so much for joining me here in Brussels.

:01:45. > :01:49.S Trying to piece together all of the detail of what's happened

:01:50. > :01:54.through the day. We brought you a report about the subway, the Metro

:01:55. > :01:59.attack which happened around 9am local time this morning, but really

:02:00. > :02:03.this sorry and horrible episode here in Brussels began an hour earlier.

:02:04. > :02:06.That was at Zaventem International Airport where, as people were

:02:07. > :02:16.gathering to make their flights across Europe and the world this

:02:17. > :02:20.morning, they're coming to the departure hall then chaos reined as

:02:21. > :02:26.two blasts rocked that departure hall. Ben Brown has gone to Zaventem

:02:27. > :02:38.and I believe we can join him now. Over to you. We have had a briefing

:02:39. > :02:46.from an airport official saying the death toll from the airport is ten

:02:47. > :02:51.or 11 but also we are hearing that news that a third device was

:02:52. > :02:58.exploded in a controlled explosion by the Security Forces here so there

:02:59. > :03:00.was a third device and also a Kalashnikov assault rifle was found

:03:01. > :03:14.at the scene as well. Many injured as well. We are a few

:03:15. > :03:20.hundred metres from the airport and the death toll is ten or 11. The

:03:21. > :03:24.death toll at the Metro, at least 20 there, so more than 30 all together.

:03:25. > :03:29.The Belgian Prime Minister's been talking saying this was a blind,

:03:30. > :03:36.violent and cowardly attack, this is a day of tragedy and a black day, he

:03:37. > :03:45.said, and he called for Belgium citizens across the country to show

:03:46. > :03:52.calmness and solidarity. Let's hear from some eyewitnesses from here and

:03:53. > :03:58.from the Metro. I moved away for one minute, away from the explosion. I

:03:59. > :04:04.was grabbing a bunch of stuff for my kids. I heard the first explosion.

:04:05. > :04:12.You felt the explosion? I feel yes and I put my hands on my face. I was

:04:13. > :04:18.having my break. I was inside. We just heard a loud bang, everything

:04:19. > :04:22.was shaking. We looked outside the window, there was smoke from the

:04:23. > :04:27.departure hall. We ran, ran away, we were running very quickly. My

:04:28. > :04:34.colleague jumped into the carousel behind the check-in desk. Just after

:04:35. > :04:38.the first one, the second one exploded, it was really, really

:04:39. > :04:50.loud. I thought I was hurt, I was hit, and then there were two people

:04:51. > :04:54.working at the airport, they told me to come inside and lock the door.

:04:55. > :05:01.People were running to save their lives. There was some announcement,

:05:02. > :05:05.clearly something had gone wrong. There were men's -- the woman's

:05:06. > :05:09.voice was shaken on the intercom, then that's when I knew we should

:05:10. > :05:16.move. Did you see or hear the explosion? No. But I noticed stuff,

:05:17. > :05:21.smoke, water dripping from the ceiling. We had to walk through

:05:22. > :05:26.puddles and we were evacuated. I was just waiting for my suitcase, then

:05:27. > :05:30.somebody said over a loudspeaker, this is an evacuation. I had to

:05:31. > :05:37.leave my luggage and leave everything and try to run. The first

:05:38. > :05:41.thing I did, I had to stop because you don't know after the explosion

:05:42. > :05:47.if somebody was going to start shooting. When I saw people running,

:05:48. > :05:56.I said yes and realised this is serious.

:05:57. > :06:02.Terrifying accounts there of what happened as the explosion ripped

:06:03. > :06:05.through the airport. We heard if some witnesses here at the airport

:06:06. > :06:09.that when the first explosion went off, they ran and they ran straight

:06:10. > :06:15.in the direction of the second explosion. Now it appears there was

:06:16. > :06:18.a third device as well, so the carnage could have been even

:06:19. > :06:22.greater. The Security Forces managed to find that. More than 30 dead all

:06:23. > :06:27.together from today's attacks, but many more injured as well. Dozens of

:06:28. > :06:39.casualties being taken to a number of hospitals in Brussels. Simon

:06:40. > :06:42.McCoy's been speaking to a doctor from Brussels. Different type of

:06:43. > :06:47.problem for the patient but I would like to say that only two of the

:06:48. > :06:54.patients are actually in the intensive care unit. Around 9am this

:06:55. > :07:08.morning, we were told to be ready with a crisis team up and running

:07:09. > :07:13.and with a contingency plan which was freeing up the operating room

:07:14. > :07:20.and clearing the space. We had enough space in the intensive care

:07:21. > :07:24.for both the people that needed it. We were shocked. Even though we knew

:07:25. > :07:30.it was possible to have these types of attacks, it's always a shock. To

:07:31. > :07:36.have this type of event. At the same time, our first mission is to give

:07:37. > :07:46.the best care for the patient and to focus on the victims as soon as

:07:47. > :07:51.possible. That was at the hospital where many

:07:52. > :07:55.of the casualties have been taken. Belgian media have been showing

:07:56. > :08:01.pictures of three suspects from the airport. I have to say, these

:08:02. > :08:04.pictures are not verified, but according to Belgium media, these

:08:05. > :08:07.are the three suspects own their way to carry out the attacks at the

:08:08. > :08:14.airport here in Brussels and the one on the right, we are hearing from

:08:15. > :08:18.Belgium media, is still missing. The other two, it's believed detonated

:08:19. > :08:22.and were killed. At least one blew himself up it's reported, and the

:08:23. > :08:26.other is dead as well. But another, a third one, still missing. So

:08:27. > :08:32.that's the latest we are hearing from here at the airport.

:08:33. > :08:36.Interesting that all this after the arrest last Friday of Salah

:08:37. > :08:40.Abdeslam, the 26-year-old suspect wanted in connection with the Paris

:08:41. > :08:45.attacks back in November that left 130 dead. I covered the arrest of

:08:46. > :08:50.Salah Abdeslam here in Brussels last Friday. There is some speculation

:08:51. > :08:57.that perhaps today's attacks so soon after that arrest were either in

:08:58. > :09:00.revenge for that arrest or it seems possible for fear amongst other

:09:01. > :09:07.terrorists that he, Salah Abdeslam, was about to blow the names of some

:09:08. > :09:13.of his colleagues here in Brussels who were about to embark on other

:09:14. > :09:17.terror attacks. There was some speculation that Salah Abdeslam was

:09:18. > :09:21.going to talk and was already under interrogation, as he awaited

:09:22. > :09:25.extradition back to France in connection with the attacks in

:09:26. > :09:29.Paris, that he was going to talk to his interrogators and perhaps the

:09:30. > :09:32.give the names of some of his accomplices in Brussels. That's all

:09:33. > :09:35.speculation at the moment but clearly the timing of today's attack

:09:36. > :09:40.so soon after his arrest last Friday. It does give you pause to

:09:41. > :09:45.think perhaps there is a connection. That's the latest from here at the

:09:46. > :09:50.airport. Back to you. Thank you very much. What is not

:09:51. > :09:54.speculation is that there is a massive security operation taking

:09:55. > :09:59.place in this city as early evening draws in. Still huge numbers of

:10:00. > :10:06.armed police and soldiers as well on the streets. I think it's fair to

:10:07. > :10:11.say that there will be a great deal of focus upon the Molenbeek

:10:12. > :10:16.neighbourhood where Salah Abdeslam was picked up and where it's known

:10:17. > :10:20.that other followers of so-called Islamic state or Daesh had their

:10:21. > :10:25.base here in the Belgian capital. Intelligence work will be continuing

:10:26. > :10:30.hour-by-hour here in the city as they try desperately to find the

:10:31. > :10:36.network which was behind the person freighters of today's attacks and

:10:37. > :10:42.try their very best to prevent any future attacks -- perpetrators. On

:10:43. > :10:46.that point about European cooperation and fears of future

:10:47. > :10:50.attacks, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, she's been talking in

:10:51. > :10:57.the last few minutes, saying her government would work very closely

:10:58. > :11:02.with Belgium, the Belgian authorities to "find and punish

:11:03. > :11:06.those responsible for these attacks" here in Brussels today. So I think

:11:07. > :11:11.we brought you pretty much the latest from the Belgian capital and,

:11:12. > :11:15.for now, back to you in the studio. Thank you very much.

:11:16. > :11:19.A few lines coming out from London. We are hearing from the Home

:11:20. > :11:23.Secretary, Theresa May, who said that, we stand together against

:11:24. > :11:28.terrorists, they will not win, she said, and she reminded us that the

:11:29. > :11:33.UK threat level remains at severe but people should be alert and not

:11:34. > :11:38.alarmed. James Landale, our deputy Political Editor says the Foreign

:11:39. > :11:42.Office is changing, expecting to change travel advice to warn people

:11:43. > :11:45.against all but essential travel to Brussels. Whitehall officials are

:11:46. > :11:50.meeting this afternoon and Number Ten says Belgium has accepted David

:11:51. > :11:51.Cameron's offer of UK police help in investigating these atrocities this

:11:52. > :11:56.morning. On the theme of travel advice, we

:11:57. > :12:00.are hearing the United States is expected to tighten airport

:12:01. > :12:04.security. We are expecting from the Obama administration an announcement

:12:05. > :12:09.later in the day about new measures to tighten security at US airports.

:12:10. > :12:13.That'll obviously have a knock-on effect on flight security, on

:12:14. > :12:16.potential flight delays for all those involved in international

:12:17. > :12:20.travel in the next few days. The blasts come four days after the

:12:21. > :12:23.arrests in Brussels of the Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam. The

:12:24. > :12:26.authorities believe last year's attacks in Paris which killed 130

:12:27. > :12:31.people were largely planned in Brussels. They also knew a number of

:12:32. > :12:36.other suspects were still on the run and could be ready to carry out

:12:37. > :12:40.further terrorist attacks. Frank Gardner reports.

:12:41. > :12:42.A co-ordinated terror attack in the heart of Europe.

:12:43. > :12:45.Belgium was braced for this but there may still be more to come.

:12:46. > :12:48.The dramatic arrest on Friday of the jihadist Salah Abdeslam,

:12:49. > :12:52.seen here in white, has led investigators to a grim conclusion

:12:53. > :13:00.that there are more terrorist cells planning attacks in Europe

:13:01. > :13:05.Najim Laachraoui is one of two known suspects still at large.

:13:06. > :13:08.The Brussels district of Molenbeek has acted as a logistics hub

:13:09. > :13:10.for so-called Islamic State but the group has networks

:13:11. > :13:13.and supporters in every major European country.

:13:14. > :13:16.I think we are facing a severe capacity problem.

:13:17. > :13:19.We do not have the security forces to deal with all these

:13:20. > :13:24.So I think what we need is a full spectrum response,

:13:25. > :13:30.to address terrorism in a more preventative way because we cannot

:13:31. > :13:34.Last year's attack on the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo

:13:35. > :13:37.was a wake-up call to both French and Belgian intelligence agencies.

:13:38. > :13:40.It exposed the huge scale of Islamic State attack planning

:13:41. > :13:44.in Europe, much of it centred on Brussels.

:13:45. > :13:49.Belgium's history of terrorism includes the May 2014 attack

:13:50. > :13:53.on the Jewish Museum which left four dead.

:13:54. > :13:57.In 2015, the weapons used in the Paris attacks

:13:58. > :14:03.The same year, police were fired on in the town of Verviers and now

:14:04. > :14:09.Belgium does have a particular problem concerning security,

:14:10. > :14:14.the intelligence agencies do not share enough information with police

:14:15. > :14:23.meaning attacks like today can be missed.

:14:24. > :14:28.Meaning vital clues like today's one could be missed.

:14:29. > :14:31.As Belgium puts its security forces on maximum alert today,

:14:32. > :14:33.countries like Britain are offering to help.

:14:34. > :14:35.Belgium's security challenges are simply too big for it to tackle

:14:36. > :14:48.The Belgian flag is now flying in Downing Street. We can go to

:14:49. > :14:54.Westminster now to talk to a senior fellow at the International Centre

:14:55. > :15:01.for the Study of Radicalisation at the King's College in London. Your

:15:02. > :15:05.thoughts about what Frank was saying there, how quickly these attacks got

:15:06. > :15:09.under way and were put into action given it's four days since the

:15:10. > :15:15.arrest of Salah Abdeslam? I think it would be incorrect to see these

:15:16. > :15:20.attacks as a direct response to the arrest of Salah Abdeslam on Friday,

:15:21. > :15:24.given the nature of the attack, given the numerous bombs that were

:15:25. > :15:27.involved and the several different sites they took place across, it

:15:28. > :15:31.suggests there was a degree of planning and sophistication to this.

:15:32. > :15:34.So, I think it would be quite incomprehensible for this to have

:15:35. > :15:38.been pulled off from scratch in the last three days and that in a sense

:15:39. > :15:41.is more worrying for the Belgians because it means that there are

:15:42. > :15:45.other cells out there that have clearly been planning their own

:15:46. > :15:50.atrocities and who may have possibly speeded up attacks as a result of

:15:51. > :15:55.the arrest last Friday. We had heard from Belgian security sources fears

:15:56. > :16:01.there might have been as many as 30 linked in a network in Brussels with

:16:02. > :16:05.attacks in preparation as he was arrested on Friday. Absolutely. That

:16:06. > :16:09.is what makes it so alarming. It took them something like four months

:16:10. > :16:15.to get to Salah Abdeslam after the Paris attacks. Here he was hiding

:16:16. > :16:19.out in the Belgian capital. In that sense, the Belgian and it's been

:16:20. > :16:22.said by some in the previous packages, that the intelligence

:16:23. > :16:27.services in Belgium need to work more closely with the police but

:16:28. > :16:29.also across Europe as a whole, we need to get better at sharing

:16:30. > :16:34.intelligence and co-operating because this is a threat that faces

:16:35. > :16:36.Europe as a whole, it's a pan-European problem and as a result

:16:37. > :16:41.of that the intelligence agencies will need to be much better in terms

:16:42. > :16:45.of linking up and sharing what they know in order to add to our

:16:46. > :16:48.collective security. We have heard a lot about the need for better

:16:49. > :16:54.intelligence co-ordination. We have also heard a lot about European

:16:55. > :16:58.values and democratic values and you come again to the issue of transport

:16:59. > :17:04.hubs being soft targets in their very nature in these states. These

:17:05. > :17:11.are always going to be attractive targets for terrorists and we have

:17:12. > :17:16.seen that for a number of years now from the post-9/11 climate, we had

:17:17. > :17:21.our own dayings -- wur own attacks in London and in Madrid. Anywhere

:17:22. > :17:25.you have people gathering like this, unfortunately they're going to be

:17:26. > :17:27.targeted precisely because they're difficult to secure when you have

:17:28. > :17:33.tens of thousands of people passing through on a daily basis, it's

:17:34. > :17:36.practically impossible to have a completely effective system that

:17:37. > :17:40.safeguards everyone and so as I come back to the point I was making,

:17:41. > :17:44.these are in many cases individuals who had a known history. This is not

:17:45. > :17:50.as it were clean skins, people who have come out of nowhere. They've

:17:51. > :17:54.tended to have associations with networks, with a radical activism in

:17:55. > :17:58.the past and we need to become better at monitoring these

:17:59. > :18:01.individuals and what they're up to. Perhaps monitoring them especially

:18:02. > :18:05.in Belgium where there are so many youth known to have been

:18:06. > :18:08.radicalised, when you compare Belgium even to other European

:18:09. > :18:12.countries? Absolutely. We have been gathering data on the flow of

:18:13. > :18:19.foreign fighters from Europe going in to the Syrian conflict. There is

:18:20. > :18:23.probably something like now maybe up to about 5,000 individuals who have

:18:24. > :18:27.gone over and when you take those numbers and break them down by

:18:28. > :18:30.country and weight those pms per capita, you see Belgium has the

:18:31. > :18:35.highest number of foreign fighters of any European country. It has more

:18:36. > :18:39.than about 100 people that went from the capital alone and therefore you

:18:40. > :18:42.are looking at a high concentration in a relatively small space and that

:18:43. > :18:48.again makes it something that we need to be very concerned about and

:18:49. > :18:52.have a lot of insight into. Earlier on BBC News I was talking to an

:18:53. > :18:56.economist and she said there is going to be a debate about

:18:57. > :19:01.data-sharing in Europe, about how much data can be mined when you

:19:02. > :19:04.think about people's concerns about privacy, about the security of their

:19:05. > :19:08.devices. There is a similar debate going on in America. Do you think

:19:09. > :19:12.there is going to be that wider debate now about how much security

:19:13. > :19:17.services can get access to in Europe? I think that's a debate that

:19:18. > :19:26.we have seen playing out over the last few years. We have seen it

:19:27. > :19:28.again pointedly in the United States over the San Bernardinho attacks.

:19:29. > :19:31.This is going to come back to public discussion. It's right for the

:19:32. > :19:35.public to have that debate. As a society we need that dialogue with

:19:36. > :19:38.politicians and the intelligence services about how much we are

:19:39. > :19:43.prepared to give up in order to allow them to operate in the way

:19:44. > :19:49.they would like to. These are big societal issues for us as a whole to

:19:50. > :19:51.look into and I would dare say that debate will now be reinvigorated in

:19:52. > :19:58.light of these attacks. Thank you for your time.

:19:59. > :20:02.Let's bring ourselves up to date with the events crossing live to our

:20:03. > :20:06.colleague. Thank you very much indeed. Let's

:20:07. > :20:10.begin with the story that came through over an hour ago. BBC

:20:11. > :20:15.breaking, it's been sharing on Twitter, it concerns who may have

:20:16. > :20:17.carried out this attack in Brussels. The Islamic State group is claiming

:20:18. > :20:24.responsibility via a statement that's been issued through the Amaq

:20:25. > :20:29.news agency. This is Is's own news agency. It has a long track record

:20:30. > :20:34.of being completely correct in the statements that it shares and the

:20:35. > :20:40.reports it carries. It's really part of Islamic State. So a significant

:20:41. > :20:44.development there with the Is news agency carrying a statement claiming

:20:45. > :20:49.responsibility. Let's look at what it's claiming responsibility for.

:20:50. > :20:54.The first details we started to get of something happening came from the

:20:55. > :20:58.airport in Brussels. Reuters carried a short news wire here. Two

:20:59. > :21:01.explosions heard at Brussels airport, cause unclear, quoting

:21:02. > :21:06.local media. Statement as this there were multiple messages posted on

:21:07. > :21:13.social media saying exactly the same thing. It was established that two

:21:14. > :21:20.explosions took place at a few minutes before that news wire,

:21:21. > :21:24.8.00am local time in Belgium. It was here in Zaventem Airport. Emergency

:21:25. > :21:29.services tried to reach those who were injured. An hour later in the

:21:30. > :21:33.centre of town at Maelbeek Metro station in central Brussels there

:21:34. > :21:36.was another explosion. First of all, let's concentrate on the airport

:21:37. > :21:42.itself. The main airport for Brussels. So far, the authorities

:21:43. > :21:46.are saying that 11 people lost their lives there, 81 were wounded. This

:21:47. > :21:50.diagram will help us understand what happened. The first explosion near

:21:51. > :21:58.the check-in desks and a second close to a Starbucks. In the last

:21:59. > :22:03.few minutes the authorities have released this security camera still

:22:04. > :22:12.which they say constains three men who are considered to be suspects by

:22:13. > :22:16.the police. -- it's not known if they are still alive. A huge amount

:22:17. > :22:20.of information coming in, video and pictures of what was happening. This

:22:21. > :22:23.is one video of the immediate aftermath inside the terminal with

:22:24. > :22:27.smoke and you can hear people shouting and crying. Some people are

:22:28. > :22:32.lying on the floor injured. This is a separate video which was also

:22:33. > :22:35.shared. All of these black tiles on the floor have come from the roof

:22:36. > :22:40.which gives you an idea of the scale of this explosion. Not long

:22:41. > :22:43.afterwards, as you would imagine, emergency services were arriving.

:22:44. > :22:46.Many ambulances and fire engines on the scene. At the same time as that,

:22:47. > :22:51.there were also lots of people trying to get away from the terminal

:22:52. > :22:55.as quickly as possible. Some of them were being directed by the police.

:22:56. > :23:00.Others were left waiting for instruction for a few minutes in the

:23:01. > :23:03.aftermath of the attack. As some of those people were coming out of the

:23:04. > :23:07.airport they spoke to journalists who were gathering. This is what

:23:08. > :23:12.they told them. I was having my break. I was inside the building. We

:23:13. > :23:16.just heard a loud bang, everything was shaking. We looked outside the

:23:17. > :23:24.window. There was smoke coming out of the departure hall. I thought I

:23:25. > :23:27.was hurt, I was hit. Then there were two people who were working at the

:23:28. > :23:31.airport. They told me to come inside, they locked the door. People

:23:32. > :23:36.started panicking and running. The only thing I was seeing was just

:23:37. > :23:39.dust in the air. People running to save their lives. There were some

:23:40. > :23:47.announcements. Clearly, something had gone wrong. The woman's voice

:23:48. > :23:52.was quite shaken on the intercom and that's when I know we should move.

:23:53. > :23:56.While this was happening at the airport, 11 kilometres away in the

:23:57. > :24:01.centre of town another explosion had taken place at Maelbeek Metro. This

:24:02. > :24:04.is right in the centre of Brussels. The train had just left the station

:24:05. > :24:08.when a bomb exploded. We understand at least 20 people lost their lives

:24:09. > :24:13.there. Over 100 were injured. This map gives you an idea of how central

:24:14. > :24:18.this is. Very easy walking distance from the European Commission, the

:24:19. > :24:23.Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.

:24:24. > :24:27.This also happened four kilometres away from the part of Brussels which

:24:28. > :24:32.we were focussing on on Friday. The man that was wanted in connection

:24:33. > :24:37.with the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was arrested - injured and

:24:38. > :24:41.arrested, in an area called Molenbeek which has long been

:24:42. > :24:44.associated with radical Islam. Let me bring up this image. This is one

:24:45. > :24:49.of the stills shared of the aftermath in the tunnel of that

:24:50. > :24:53.explosion on the Metro. We have also got video of the aftermath of that

:24:54. > :24:57.incident. Very dark, as you would expect, with people helped to step

:24:58. > :25:03.out of the train carriage after the train had come to a standstill. We

:25:04. > :25:06.also have pictures from the outside because this explosion was so large

:25:07. > :25:09.the smoke worked up through the station and started to come out

:25:10. > :25:15.through the front of the station. As you would expect, a lot of people

:25:16. > :25:18.around because it was rush hour. These pictures are from later after

:25:19. > :25:24.the emergency services had arrived. As you can see, people are being

:25:25. > :25:28.treated on the pavement, some given blankets to keep warm. This man is

:25:29. > :25:31.trying to find a way through for the fire engines, as it was rush hour it

:25:32. > :25:36.wasn't easy for the emergency services to get to where they wanted

:25:37. > :25:43.to be as fast as they would have liked. All these pictures were

:25:44. > :25:53.coming in. Some of those people who came out of the station then

:25:54. > :25:56.described what they had seen. We were in between the station and

:25:57. > :26:00.Maelbeek and we felt a small blast of air. We heard some thudding in

:26:01. > :26:06.the distance. The Metro immediately stopped. The lights turned off, the

:26:07. > :26:08.engine turned off and a message came on saying there had been a

:26:09. > :26:12.disturbance on the line, that continued for a few minutes. People

:26:13. > :26:16.were obviously nervous, I think a lot of people, like myself, had been

:26:17. > :26:20.reading about the explosion at Brussels airport as they were on

:26:21. > :26:24.their way to work. The train staff came through and I asked one of them

:26:25. > :26:27.was there an explosion and the woman who worked for the rail service said

:26:28. > :26:32.yes. Then her colleague quickly behind her followed and I asked him

:26:33. > :26:38.where was the explosion? He said, Maelbeek. Then we were evacuated.

:26:39. > :26:45.They turned off the electricity on the line. We walked out the back of

:26:46. > :26:49.the carriage. The stories developing all the time. I can bring you all

:26:50. > :26:54.the copy that's been filed into the BBC newsroom. This comes from the

:26:55. > :26:58.BBC's deputy political editor saying the Prime Minister's office says

:26:59. > :27:01.that the Foreign Office was changing its travel advice to warn people,

:27:02. > :27:06.British people, against all but essential travel to Brussels.

:27:07. > :27:10.A really significant statement there from the UK's Foreign Office. Advice

:27:11. > :27:14.being changed. Warning people against travel to Brussels unless it

:27:15. > :27:17.is absolutely essential. There has been widespread

:27:18. > :27:20.condemnation from the UK Government, from governments around the world to

:27:21. > :27:24.what's been happening. A couple of quotes. Belgium's Prime Minister has

:27:25. > :27:28.said this is a black moment for his country. Now more than ever he said

:27:29. > :27:32.I would like to appeal to all to be calm and to show solidarity.

:27:33. > :27:37.The French Prime Minister has said, we are at war. We have been

:27:38. > :27:41.subjected for the last few months in Europe to acts of war.

:27:42. > :27:44.Very strong language from the French. If you want to follow this

:27:45. > :27:48.story online, whether it's through the news app or the website, the

:27:49. > :27:57.live page is putting together the latest information.

:27:58. > :28:00.One of the images on the live page is that image of the airport attack

:28:01. > :28:06.suspects. If we bring that up for you now this is an image widely

:28:07. > :28:10.published by Belgian media said to show the three men who are believed

:28:11. > :28:15.to have carried out the attack. The two men on the left, what's being

:28:16. > :28:18.remarked upon is they both appear to be wearing a single black glove on

:28:19. > :28:21.their left hands. Some reports suggesting this could have been in

:28:22. > :28:25.order to conceal detonators. Other reports saying it's believed the man

:28:26. > :28:31.in white got away. It's been announced that there will

:28:32. > :28:36.be three days of national mourning in Belgium following the attacks

:28:37. > :28:41.this morning. Let's speak to the security analyst, the head of

:28:42. > :28:46.research and analysis at the Glennal Centre for Security and joins me now

:28:47. > :28:49.from New York. It was obvious within moments of the attack in Brussels

:28:50. > :28:58.that cities around the world were put on alert. That's right. I think

:28:59. > :29:02.the tension is palpable because the hallmark of these events is they hit

:29:03. > :29:07.soft targets and vulnerable citizens and they're difficult to prevent.

:29:08. > :29:08.Understandably, even the commute to New York City today, there was

:29:09. > :29:16.tension. The focus has been on Brussels in

:29:17. > :29:21.the last few days. Are you surprised Brussels is now a target? It's

:29:22. > :29:26.perhaps not surprising. I mean there's been so much discuss about

:29:27. > :29:31.this being in retaliation for the arrests of Salah Abdeslam, but it's

:29:32. > :29:35.unlikely given the kinds of logistics and planning that this

:29:36. > :29:43.required that this was done on such short notice. Given the number of

:29:44. > :29:45.associations we have seen on previous attacks, it's not

:29:46. > :29:52.surprising there's been quite a lot of talk over the last three, four,

:29:53. > :29:56.five months, you know, about Brussels being a potential entry

:29:57. > :29:59.point. Certainly if we look at the outflow of foreign terrorist

:30:00. > :30:06.fighters for example to Syria and Iraq, we see nearly 400-450 foreign

:30:07. > :30:11.fighters which is high per Capita from Belgium. I don't think it's

:30:12. > :30:17.wholly surprising actually. There's a lot of concern at the speed of

:30:18. > :30:22.this attack only four days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam and that

:30:23. > :30:26.is, some say, pointing to a much more organised and a larger in

:30:27. > :30:33.number group than had previously been feared? I think that - as I

:30:34. > :30:38.said earlier, while so much of the focus has been on retaliation, I

:30:39. > :30:43.think it's clear that from the logistics to be in place to have

:30:44. > :30:47.people ready to perpetrate these attacks on such short notice, I

:30:48. > :30:50.imagine this was some time in the planning and certainly I think this

:30:51. > :30:55.is the challenge we are facing now where we have people who can have

:30:56. > :30:58.access to training, to logistic support, to plank, and it doesn't

:30:59. > :31:03.really require perhaps as much time as it used to when you have to go to

:31:04. > :31:08.a training camp. There's so much support that's available virtually

:31:09. > :31:12.or by certain specialised actors or trainers and certainly I think a lot

:31:13. > :31:17.of Government will be concerned andth in wanting to know if there

:31:18. > :31:23.are any returnees from Syria or Iraq also involved because that will fuel

:31:24. > :31:26.concern that they'll return with specialised knowledge and they'll be

:31:27. > :31:30.able to speed up the planning and preparation time. Are there the

:31:31. > :31:33.links between the various intelligence agencies to make that

:31:34. > :31:38.possible? There's been criticism in the past about Belgium and French

:31:39. > :31:41.security on that basis? I can't speak to internal

:31:42. > :31:44.intelligence cooperation but I think this is going to be the primary

:31:45. > :31:49.challenge. Sitting here in New York I do a lot of work with the UN, with

:31:50. > :31:54.member states. I think it's clear that the trans-national and

:31:55. > :31:58.dimension of today's terrorism will require greater international

:31:59. > :32:02.cooperation. Intelligence agencies, it's always challenging for them, as

:32:03. > :32:05.you know, in many ways to get certain information exchanged but

:32:06. > :32:09.the need for this is clear. We have seen steps with the immediate

:32:10. > :32:12.sharing of photographs and I think when there have been critical

:32:13. > :32:26.Americans, we have seen intelligence agencies step up to collaborate on

:32:27. > :32:32.specific attacks. In the case of certain attacks individually, also

:32:33. > :32:37.more broadly on prevention, on counterering extreme terrorism. All

:32:38. > :32:41.eyes will be turned on the security risks that require greater deeper

:32:42. > :32:45.cooperation with intelligence agencies and diplomatics on the

:32:46. > :32:50.prevention side that's always going to be critical. As the people of

:32:51. > :32:53.Belgium try to come to terms with what's happens there today, it's the

:32:54. > :32:58.nature of terrorism, whatever world leaders say in terms of we shall not

:32:59. > :33:02.be beaten, that when your trains and trams don't work and your airlines

:33:03. > :33:10.are shut down, the terrorism has won, albeit in the short-term?

:33:11. > :33:17.Certainly. I hate to say it won but I see your point, it's casting a

:33:18. > :33:22.black shadow. The nature of these attacks are vulnerable and open

:33:23. > :33:29.targets. The fact they took place at the check-in counter and not, you

:33:30. > :33:33.know, at the security checkpoints, they are trying to keep some kind of

:33:34. > :33:37.open environment. Certainly I think that's going to be widespread

:33:38. > :33:41.concern. It does cast a dark shadow. My fear though is, of course, that

:33:42. > :33:46.in these moments, we will urge towards a very hard response which

:33:47. > :33:50.of course security responses are necessary but we also need to

:33:51. > :33:56.remember at the same time as I said to underscore the kind of preventive

:33:57. > :34:01.activities that we've all talked about in the context of extremism.

:34:02. > :34:05.The efforts really need to go on and I think that's also important to

:34:06. > :34:11.remember, the perspective. I mean, with the high number per Capita of

:34:12. > :34:15.foreign fighters I mentioned, we are still talking about 40 people per

:34:16. > :34:20.million in. Some ways it's a big number, in some ways it's a small

:34:21. > :34:24.number, we deal with a number of threats day-to-day when we step

:34:25. > :34:29.outside our front door and we do live with a number of risks. While

:34:30. > :34:33.we are going to be concerned, we are going to see public increasingly

:34:34. > :34:37.concerned bewe have to remember we also survived a number of other

:34:38. > :34:42.risks, the risk of gun violence here in the US and the numbers related to

:34:43. > :34:45.that are very high. I think we should try and balance some of the

:34:46. > :34:49.concern but it's a dark day for sure.

:34:50. > :34:52.Belgium has raised its terror threat to its highest level. Are you

:34:53. > :35:02.surprised it's taken this for them to do that? I think raising the

:35:03. > :35:07.terror threat and the kinds of stoppages it brings on in terms of

:35:08. > :35:11.what you mentioned earlier, airport subways, I think it has a

:35:12. > :35:16.significant cause. The urge to do it and see it I think is very strong in

:35:17. > :35:21.the wake of suspicions, but the cost of doing it not only in terms of

:35:22. > :35:26.planning but in terms of actually impeding the flow of life in our

:35:27. > :35:29.very globalised societies, I can imagine that there's a huge cost

:35:30. > :35:33.associated with it and I can understand why there's caution in

:35:34. > :35:39.going to that maximum level. I can see cause for it to be heightened.

:35:40. > :35:44.Personally I could see why there may be those calling for it to have been

:35:45. > :35:49.heightened much earlier and for longer periods of time, but from a

:35:50. > :35:56.day-to-day perspective and I imagine for city and local officials, it's

:35:57. > :36:01.something that is to be done only when absolutely necessary because

:36:02. > :36:05.life goes on, we still need to function and the stoppages are not

:36:06. > :36:09.sustainable for long periods. Thank you very much for your time.

:36:10. > :36:12.Just to say, something just coming through from the UN's Syria envoy,

:36:13. > :36:16.saying the message from the Brussels attack is the need to ex-tenning

:36:17. > :36:20.wish the fire of war in Syria. That just coming through reported by

:36:21. > :36:25.Reuters. Now, here we are bringing you eyewitness accounts throughout

:36:26. > :36:33.the day. Earlier, I spoke to a lady in the lobby of her hotel 50 metres

:36:34. > :36:38.from the Metro explosion. We were just checking out and the air was

:36:39. > :36:43.filled with noise, shots and it was, you know, you freeze in that very

:36:44. > :36:53.moment and you are disorientated, but the smell, you know, of dynamite

:36:54. > :36:57.and everything, it was a clear indicator of what was going on. We

:36:58. > :37:03.tried to get to the exits, to the back exits because the front they

:37:04. > :37:07.already tried to seal off. Then we decided to stay in the lobby which

:37:08. > :37:13.filled up with people and we were locked in and managed to get out and

:37:14. > :37:20.get away from the scene, but it was kind of surreal and at the same time

:37:21. > :37:30.sad images which become more and more frequent also.

:37:31. > :37:35.Earlier we also heard from A man at the airport at the time of the

:37:36. > :37:39.explosion. Miraculously I don't know how we were not physically hurt. We

:37:40. > :37:48.were yew queueing to check in at the row desk eight which is fairly near

:37:49. > :37:52.the Starbucks coffee shop. I actually went towards the Starbucks

:37:53. > :37:59.to go and get a tea for my partner and it was at that moment that the

:38:00. > :38:03.first explosion happened so the idea of getting a tea stopped being a

:38:04. > :38:07.good one and I ran back to my partner and the ceiling was falling

:38:08. > :38:12.in, there was debris falling all around us. General panic I think

:38:13. > :38:19.would be the best way to describe it. I just jumped on top of my

:38:20. > :38:23.partner and covered us with the suitcase so as to protect us from

:38:24. > :38:28.the falling ceiling. We were also talking about it afterwards and also

:38:29. > :38:34.realised we were afraid that there may be shooting, but that didn't

:38:35. > :38:39.happen at all. I didn't hear any shots. People were reporting there

:38:40. > :38:45.was shouting in Arabic. I personally didn't hear any where we were near

:38:46. > :38:53.the baggage, sorry, the check in row eight. So we ran from the edge of

:38:54. > :38:59.row eight towards the exit and we were running over the debris from

:39:00. > :39:03.the ceiling and broken glass from where the windows exploded and there

:39:04. > :39:10.was people's baggage lying on the floor. I think there were one or two

:39:11. > :39:16.people lying injured as well and so at that point we ran out into the

:39:17. > :39:20.area where the cars pull up for the car drop-off points just outside the

:39:21. > :39:25.airport. There was when we really saw lots of people injured, lots of

:39:26. > :39:29.people trying to help people who were injured and just general

:39:30. > :39:35.confusion, everyone on their mobile phones trying to call people, trying

:39:36. > :39:39.to call the emergency services. We ourselves tried to help a woman who

:39:40. > :39:45.had a bad injury on her leg and foot. It looked like it was shrapnel

:39:46. > :39:50.from the explosion that had embedded in her shoe and she was dreaming to

:39:51. > :39:55.take her shoe off. Obviously we were saying no, that's probably what is

:39:56. > :40:00.holding your foot together. Then I was running around trying to find

:40:01. > :40:06.ambulance people or first-aid people. But at that point, probably

:40:07. > :40:12.we are talking ten or 15 minutes or maybe less than that, after the

:40:13. > :40:14.explosion, it just seemed like everyone needed help and there

:40:15. > :40:20.wasn't quite enough emergency service help there at that time. But

:40:21. > :40:26.then after another ten minutes there were fleets of ambulances and fire

:40:27. > :40:30.engines and stuff coming into the airport area and we could see people

:40:31. > :40:34.were getting help they needed. The King of Belgium's said he's been

:40:35. > :40:38.shocked by today's events, he'll speak to the nation in an hour.

:40:39. > :40:41.Meanwhile, the Belgian Prime Minister's condemned what he called

:40:42. > :40:49.blind and cowardly attacks and said people needed to come together.

:40:50. > :40:56.Our first thoughts are with the victims, with their families and

:40:57. > :41:02.those waiting for information about their loved ones. Two attacks have

:41:03. > :41:12.happened this morning, one at 7. 10 and the other one at the Metro

:41:13. > :41:21.station. As we speak, because of security situation, we are trying to

:41:22. > :41:30.stabilise the situation and our thoughts are going towards the

:41:31. > :41:35.providing of treatment for the victims, to evacuate victims of this

:41:36. > :41:44.attack, towards various hospitals and we know that probably we are

:41:45. > :41:51.talking about scores of dead, scores of injured persons, some of them

:41:52. > :41:56.seriously. The authorities are evaluating the

:41:57. > :42:01.threat and raised it to level four and additional security measures are

:42:02. > :42:08.being taken as we speak. Military enforcement is being deployed.

:42:09. > :42:12.Reinforcement of border controls are in action and especially measures

:42:13. > :42:19.regarding public transport are being put in place now, as we speak.

:42:20. > :42:25.I would like to tell you, this type of tragic moment, this black moment

:42:26. > :42:33.in our country, never before I would like to call on everybody to show

:42:34. > :42:37.calmness and solidarity. We are facing a challenging time, difficult

:42:38. > :42:42.challenging time and we should face up to this challenge by being

:42:43. > :42:48.united, solitary and also coming together.

:42:49. > :42:55.We will continue to follow the situation minute by minute with

:42:56. > :42:57.different Security Services, with different rescue services. I would

:42:58. > :43:02.like to thank the Security Services for the work that they have done so

:43:03. > :43:11.far and I would like to tell you once again how we are determined to

:43:12. > :43:15.face this situation and manage this situation and to deal with it as

:43:16. > :43:18.best as possible. That was the Prime Minister of

:43:19. > :43:25.Belgium. Just to bring you up-to-date. The airport CEO has said

:43:26. > :43:30.that the airport will remain closed tomorrow, aiming to re-open on

:43:31. > :43:35.Thursday. At least ten people were killed at the airport this morning

:43:36. > :43:39.and schools, in his words, were injured -- scores were injured. It's

:43:40. > :43:42.too early to assess the damage to the terminal and said it could be

:43:43. > :43:49.longth closed for longer after it's been assessed. We also know at least

:43:50. > :43:52.20 died at the Metro station so at least 31 people have died. Thank you

:43:53. > :43:56.for being with us on this BBC News Special. We'll go to Brussels

:43:57. > :44:00.international airport to join my colleague Ben Brown with the very

:44:01. > :44:06.latest news coming up here on BBC News.

:44:07. > :44:14.Terror strikes at the heart of Europe.

:44:15. > :44:17.At least 31 people are dead and dozens injured after a series

:44:18. > :44:28.Two explosions ripped through the city's airport

:44:29. > :44:36.This was the scene in the departure hall just moments afterwards.

:44:37. > :44:41.TRANSLATION: I heard a gunshot and what sounded like Arabic, then I had

:44:42. > :44:45.an enormous explosion. An hour later at least

:44:46. > :44:58.20 people were killed when a third bomb went off

:44:59. > :45:01.on an underground train Belgian police release this CCTV

:45:02. > :45:06.image of three suspects. The so-called Islamic State

:45:07. > :45:08.claims responsibility, in a statement issued

:45:09. > :45:11.via a news agency. Belgium's Prime Minister says it's

:45:12. > :45:13.a "black day" for his country. President Obama and the Prime

:45:14. > :45:15.Minister are among world leaders They could just as well

:45:16. > :45:22.be attacks in Britain or in France or Germany

:45:23. > :45:45.or elsewhere in Europe. Hello and welcome to

:45:46. > :45:53.this BBC News Special. There have been a series

:45:54. > :45:59.of devastating bomb attacks in the Belgian capital

:46:00. > :46:04.today that have left at least 31 people dead

:46:05. > :46:06.and dozens injured. The first went off in the departures

:46:07. > :46:08.hall at Brussels International As people ran towards the exit,

:46:09. > :46:16.there was a second, bigger At least 10 or 11

:46:17. > :46:24.people were killed. But then around an hour later

:46:25. > :46:31.there was a third explosion on the Brussels metro,

:46:32. > :46:34.in the heart of the city, right by

:46:35. > :46:36.the EU institutions. At least 20 were killed and again

:46:37. > :46:43.many more were injured. These devastating explosions come

:46:44. > :46:49.just four days after the arrest in Brussels of the Paris terror

:46:50. > :46:55.suspect Salah Abdelsalam. The Belgian Prime Minister

:46:56. > :47:00.has called today a dark moment for the entire

:47:01. > :47:01.Belgian nation. The maximum security level has been

:47:02. > :47:09.imposed on the whole country. Our first report on the Brussels

:47:10. > :47:13.attacks is from Jonny Diamond. A departure lounge

:47:14. > :47:21.becomes a war zone. Travellers cower in fear

:47:22. > :47:30.of further attack. Two bombs had ripped

:47:31. > :47:52.through the building. These three men, captured on camera

:47:53. > :47:57.at the airport this morning, are currently the prime suspects. This

:47:58. > :48:02.photo is running on Belgian media. The two on the left are thought to

:48:03. > :48:07.be dead. The third man, on the right, is the subject of a manhunt.

:48:08. > :48:10.The bombs blew out the windows and brought down the ceiling.

:48:11. > :48:16.First we thought it was a billboard falling down.

:48:17. > :48:19.It was 20 centimetres from me, it was a big explosion.

:48:20. > :48:34.And then there were two people who were working on the airport.

:48:35. > :48:38.They told me to come inside and they locked the door

:48:39. > :48:44.Behind a little gap, I saw a soldier putting away a body.

:48:45. > :48:48.I hope he was not dead and he was just hit.

:48:49. > :48:53.Guns at the ready, the Army and the police watch over passengers

:48:54. > :48:55.evacuated from the bombed airport, as the mayhem

:48:56. > :49:04.There was one gunshot after the first explosion,

:49:05. > :49:13.And there was one man was speaking Arabic afterwards and I heard

:49:14. > :49:26.It was, said Belgium's Prime Minister, a black day.

:49:27. > :49:28.Our country and our citizens have been struck by attacks,

:49:29. > :49:41.And our first thoughts are with the victims,

:49:42. > :49:52.A claim of responsibility for the attack was made. A website linked to

:49:53. > :49:53.so-called Islamic State said that IS fighters had carried out the

:49:54. > :49:57.bombings. Brussels is on the highest

:49:58. > :49:59.state of alert. The military has

:50:00. > :50:03.sent reinforcements. Public transport has ceased

:50:04. > :50:06.in Europe's capital. Flights suspended,

:50:07. > :50:07.the Eurostar halted. Europe, says the French Prime

:50:08. > :50:26.Minister, is at war. In the last hour or so we have had a

:50:27. > :50:34.briefing from a senior official here at Brussels airport, saying ten or

:50:35. > :50:44.11 people died here. Two devices went off, the second one smaller

:50:45. > :50:48.than the first one. But three devices altogether. The airport

:50:49. > :50:52.saying they will not open again until Thursday at the very earliest.

:50:53. > :50:56.We've just had word from the Belgian authorities that they have issued a

:50:57. > :51:00.wanted notice for one of the three terror suspects who is believed to

:51:01. > :51:05.have been involved in the airport attack. Two of these three who were

:51:06. > :51:11.filmed, according to local media, not verified yet, but filmed on

:51:12. > :51:15.CCTV, two of these are dead but the one in the black hat and a white

:51:16. > :51:22.jacket seems to have escaped. There is now a wanted alert for that

:51:23. > :51:27.terror suspect. After the explosions here at Brussels airport, about an

:51:28. > :51:34.hour later, the height of the morning rush-hour, there was another

:51:35. > :51:37.devastating explosion at Maelbeek station.

:51:38. > :51:39.At least 20 have died and 55 are injured.

:51:40. > :51:40.The entire metro network is now closed.

:51:41. > :51:43.Christian Fraser's report contains some images that viewers may find

:51:44. > :51:53.The screams of a traumatised child emerging from a packed commuter

:51:54. > :51:58.train, in the immediate aftermath of an explosion.

:51:59. > :52:03.The other passengers set off on foot into a tunnel filled with smoke.

:52:04. > :52:05.They follow the lights but they do not know

:52:06. > :52:12.where they are going or what they are walking into.

:52:13. > :52:19.They come out of the station with some trepidation, but in fact the

:52:20. > :52:21.Bond had been placed in the middle of a three carriage train which was

:52:22. > :52:28.leaving the platform alone. The metro station is Maelbeek,

:52:29. > :52:32.just 500 metres from The explosion echoed down tunnels,

:52:33. > :52:40.so loud that commuters in neighbouring

:52:41. > :52:43.stations thought they were There was a loud muffled

:52:44. > :52:50.thud, very audible. There was initial panic

:52:51. > :52:53.but there was so much construction that takes place over Brussels

:52:54. > :52:56.all the time it is hard to discern But there was a lot of dust

:52:57. > :53:01.and smoke raised almost immediately I was in the metro heading

:53:02. > :53:07.from Arts-Loi to Maelbeek. We received a big blast of air

:53:08. > :53:17.and the train stopped. We had the normal recording

:53:18. > :53:24.announcements: "we have just had an incident on the line,

:53:25. > :53:27.we are trying to resolve the issue". We waited and smoke

:53:28. > :53:30.entered the carriages. The bomb went off at

:53:31. > :53:38.the peak of the morning rush-hour, as thousands headed

:53:39. > :53:43.into work in the diplomatic quarter. As first responders arrived,

:53:44. > :53:45.the smoke was billowing but inside there were horrific

:53:46. > :53:49.injuries. 20 people are reported killed

:53:50. > :53:53.and over 50 wounded. Until this point, the Belgian

:53:54. > :53:56.capital was a hub for jihadis, It's clear now that Salah Abdeslam

:53:57. > :54:07.was but a small cog in a much bigger terrorist industry,

:54:08. > :54:27.still not fully understood I covered the arrest of Salah

:54:28. > :54:32.Abdeslam in the Molenbeek district of Brussels last Friday and it does

:54:33. > :54:37.seem that these attacks may well be linked to that arrest of Salahaddin

:54:38. > :54:41.Islam, wanted in connection with the Paris attacks. Whether these attacks

:54:42. > :54:45.today were perhaps revenge for him being arrested, and he was shot in

:54:46. > :54:51.the leg during that arrest, or whether in some ways perhaps the

:54:52. > :54:55.terror network, accomplices of him, while worried that he might talk

:54:56. > :54:58.under interrogation in custody and blow their cover as it were, and

:54:59. > :55:02.they thought they should carry out their attacks today rather than

:55:03. > :55:07.later on, we simply don't know yet. That is speculation at the moment.

:55:08. > :55:11.But it does seem that there must be some sort of link between that

:55:12. > :55:13.arrest and the various raids we saw in Brussels last week and what has

:55:14. > :55:16.happened today. We can talk now to Simon Marks,

:55:17. > :55:18.a journalist in Brussels who was walking by Maalbeek Metro

:55:19. > :55:28.Station this morning Simon, what can you tell us? Hello,

:55:29. > :55:32.yes. I'm still here by the European institutions. Obviously it has been

:55:33. > :55:36.a fairly hectic day. In the morning I arrived at the European Council

:55:37. > :55:42.building just behind me but the Bond had just gone off at the Maelbeek

:55:43. > :55:46.Metro station, and the scenes were pretty rough. There were people

:55:47. > :55:51.pouring out of the station clearly injured, some covered in blood.

:55:52. > :55:56.People were helping out, doing rudimentary dressage with towels

:55:57. > :56:01.before the paramedics arrived. Eventually the area was cordoned

:56:02. > :56:14.off. It is still cordoned off, as we speak. And...

:56:15. > :56:24.Simon, just underlined the geology of what we're talking about here,

:56:25. > :56:28.with the heart of Brussels, where this explosion was, right in the

:56:29. > :56:35.centre of where all those EU, European Union institutions, are.

:56:36. > :56:42.Yes, indeed. The explosion went off at the Maelbeek Metro station, only

:56:43. > :56:45.about 200 metres away from the European Commission, the European

:56:46. > :56:49.Council, where the heads of state gather on a monthly basis for

:56:50. > :56:55.council meetings. The commission has been very careful not to dub this as

:56:56. > :57:05.an attack on EU institutions, but however, there have clearly been a

:57:06. > :57:09.lot of European Union buildings vacated acrobatic space evacuated.

:57:10. > :57:10.It is hard not to seek the symbolic nature of this as an attack on the

:57:11. > :57:19.EU. Ever since the Paris attacks back in

:57:20. > :57:27.November when it emerged that some of the attackers in Paris were from

:57:28. > :57:33.Brussels, were from the Molenbeek district of Brussels, this city has

:57:34. > :57:36.really been on a heightened state of alert, almost bracing itself for

:57:37. > :57:40.attacks like the ones we've seen to date summer but perhaps not really

:57:41. > :57:49.expecting it would come to this? Yeah, quite. Ever since the Paris

:57:50. > :57:52.attacks in November, Belgian authorities have been looking for

:57:53. > :57:58.Salah Abdeslam, who was one of the alleged planners of those attacks.

:57:59. > :58:05.They found him now and I think since then, authorities have been warning

:58:06. > :58:11.the public to expect a backlash and to be wary. On the other hand, some

:58:12. > :58:14.experts have said Belgian is somewhat of a safe precinct for

:58:15. > :58:20.those who want to plan attacks for elsewhere in Europe and wouldn't

:58:21. > :58:25.necessarily do it on their own doorstep. But the details of this is

:58:26. > :58:32.yet -- are yet to come out, who the attackers are, who planned it. Who

:58:33. > :58:36.knows? The close vicinity between Salah Abdeslam's arrest and these

:58:37. > :58:41.attacks, surely you would think, is not by chance.

:58:42. > :58:57.Those three explosions today have caused a very heavy loss of human

:58:58. > :58:59.life, at least 31, we are told, and dozens

:59:00. > :59:04.You and I, we're going to change this country.

:59:05. > :59:08.You run, and hopefully win, elected office