The Brussels Terrorist Attacks

On Tuesday, March 22 three bombs went off in Brussels, Belgium. Two explosions went off at the Brussels airport and the other detonated at a busy subway station. The explosions killed at least 31 people, three of which were suicide bombers, and wounded 230 people. The notorious terrorist group, ISIS, claimed to have been behind the attack. The statement that ISIS gave blames Belgium for participating in the fight against them and said that “several” fighters detonated explosive belts at the airport and subway station.

At 7:58 in the morning at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, two bombs went off.  One near the British Airways and Iberia check-in desks and one between a Starbucks coffee shop and Brussels Airlines check-in desks. The explosion caused a lot of damage, shattering windows and destroying chairs. 10 people died in the explosion and 100 were wounded. According to Belgian media outlets, the attack began just after a burst of gunfire and yelling in Arabic. The bodies of 14 victims were recovered at the airport.

There has been one man who has been charged with the attacks. The individual, “Faycal C.,” was arrested on March 24. Authorities have not identified the role that “Faycal” had in the bombings. He faces charges of “participation in terrorist activities” and “attempted terrorist murder,” said Belgian officials. No weapons or explosives were found when police raided the person’s home and police refused to give more details about the suspect.

Over an hour later another explosion went off in the middle carriage of a three-carriage train at Maalbeek metro station. The bomb detonated just as the train began to pull out of the station. The driver immediately stopped the train and passengers were evacuated. 20 people reportedly died in the explosion at the metro station and 130 were wounded.

Arrested have been made in other European countries as well. An Algerian national was taken into custody outside of the Italian city of Salerno on suspicion of being a part of a network that produces fake residency documents that are linked to the Brussels attacks. The man is wanted in Belgium for his involvement in clandestine immigration linked to the Paris attacks, said police via Twitter.

After the attacks, people around the world showed their support for Belgium. President Obama took a break from his visit to Cuba to express his condolences. Presidential hopefuls, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump all gave their opinions on the tragedy. People posted prayers and posters in social media in support and memory of those who died in the explosions.

On March 27, people gathered for a memorial for the attack victims. Mourners gathered at the Place de la Bourse in the Belgian capital to create a makeshift memorial. They laid flowers at the foot of the stairs that lead to the Brussels Stock Exchange. At around 2:45 pm, several hundred men arrived at the square. Most of the men were dressed in black with their faces covered, many carried alcohol. A man sparked a flare, others lit firecrackers. A group showed off a banner that said “F*** ISIS” and “Casuals Against Terrorism. The group chanted “we are at home” and trampled through the flowers, flags, and balloons that were left for the victims. They raised their arms in Nazi salutes and yelled anti-immigrant slurs at the people who were gathered for the memorial. The mourners countered the group’s slogans with “no to hatred,” and “we are all the sons of immigrant.” Police pushed the anti-immigrant protestors away from the memorial.

The airport reopened on April 3 and the train station reopened some of its tunnels on March 22 and is now fully open. Europe and the rest of the world were in shock when they heard of the attacks, but hopefully this tragedy will lead to tighter airport security and better protection for Europe’s citizens.