Sheldon Chad, Christina Boyle
Belgian officials locked down their
capital, Brussels, after a series of terrorist attacks struck the city
early Tuesday, leaving at least 31 dead and scores injured.
The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Amaq, the group's unofficial news agency. It described the attackers as "Islamic State fighters."
The first attack came at roughly 8 a.m., when two explosions hit Brussels Airport, sending terrified passengers fleeing during one of the busiest times of day. Around an hour later, an explosion struck the Maelbeek metro station, located near the political hub of the city and close to European Union institutions. A suicide bomber was responsible for at least one of the explosions, the Brussels public prosecutor said, according to Belgian radio.
At least 11 were killed at the airport, the federal prosecutor said. Another 20 were killed at Maelbeek station, Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur told Belgian media.
"I heard one shot," Alphonse Lyoura, a baggage security officer at the airport who witnessed the explosion, told French broadcaster BFMTV. "But after the shot I heard someone who spoke an Arabic language. After a few words, there was an explosion, a loud detonation. Everyone was in a general panic, it was horrible. Belgium doesn't deserve this, seriously."
"I helped six or seven people. We pulled out five bodies that were no longer moving. It was a scene of horror. Belgium doesn't deserve this. There was a man who had lost both his legs, a policeman whose leg was completely smashed," Lyoura said in tears.
Three Utah men in Europe to serve the Paris mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were seriously injured in the airport attack, church officials said.
The men, identified as Richard Norby, 66, of Lehi, Joseph Empe, 20, of Santa Clara and Mason Wells, 19, of Sandy, were at the airport to accompany another Mormon missionary on her way to Ohio. A Mormon church official in Brussels said all three men were hospitalized.
A spokesperson for the Brussels transit system said 15 people had been killed and 55 injured in the Maelbeek attack.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel asked people in the city to remain indoors as Brussels came to a standstill and armed police and emergency services moved into the streets. Officials raised the terrorist threat to its maximum level.
All flights at the airport were canceled until further notice, and the entire Brussels transportation system was shut down. International train travel into Belgium was also suspended.
The incidents come four days after one of the suspects in November's fatal Paris terrorist attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was apprehended in Brussels after four months on the run.
Authorities said Abdeslam had helped create a jihadist network centered in the city and had been planning a fresh attack. A large cache of weapons had been discovered when he was captured, officials said. They also had warned of possible retaliatory attacks and said other terrorists were on the loose. No group so far has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks.
"ISIS is under increasing pressure in Europe," said Brian Levin, a Cal State San Bernardino professor and terrorism expert, using an acronym for Islamic State. "And timing-wise, particularly in Europe, this is speeding up their schedule of attacks. Frankly, there are more terror networks in Belgium and France, and ability to hide within a population that is supportive of them. ... Belgium is ground zero for ISIS networks in Europe."
"Belgium has sent more foreign fighters from Europe to ISIS front lines than any other country," he added.
President Obama, in Havana, prefaced a speech to the Cuban people by condemning "these outrageous attacks against innocent people."
"We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible," he added. "We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of those all around the world."
The White House said the president had spoken with Michel by phone, offering condolences and assistance.
In Washington, the Justice Department said FBI and counter-terrorism officials were working with their Belgian counterparts and that Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch had been briefed.
At a news conference, the Belgian prime minister urged people to remain calm but described the day as a black one for the country.
"Our country and our citizens have been struck by blind attacks, violent and cowardly, and our first thoughts are with the victims, with their families," he said.
British, French and German government officials issued statements pledging support for Belgium. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for "solidarity with the victims" in the "fight against terrorists."
At the train station, witnesses said they saw about a dozen people lying outside on the sidewalk.
A spokeswoman for Brussels Metro told Belgian TV that the explosion appeared to have been detonated inside a train car as it pulled into the station.
A passenger named Evan Lamos told the BBC he had been on a train heading into work and, like many other passengers, was reading news reports about the two blasts that had taken place at the airport earlier that morning.
As he approached Maelbeek station, he felt a blast of air and the train stopped.
"The lights turned out, the engine cut out and we heard a message come across the intercom saying there had been a disturbance on the line," he said.
A metro employee placed a ladder against the carriage and helped people off the train, directing them to walk back down the tunnel away from the blast.
"Everyone was walking out and helping each other," he said. "People were not really sure what was going on."
Inside the airport, there were scenes of chaos.
Jean-Pierre Lebeau, who had just arrived on a flight from Geneva, heard the first explosion. "We felt the blast. The ceiling fell in ... there was the smell of powder ... there was blood in the elevator," he told Agence France-Presse. "We took shelter with the border police, then we were told to evacuate."
Sections of ceiling tiles had collapsed,
and images captured on shaky cellphone videos showed bloodied travelers
walking in a daze or lying injured on the floor.The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Amaq, the group's unofficial news agency. It described the attackers as "Islamic State fighters."
The first attack came at roughly 8 a.m., when two explosions hit Brussels Airport, sending terrified passengers fleeing during one of the busiest times of day. Around an hour later, an explosion struck the Maelbeek metro station, located near the political hub of the city and close to European Union institutions. A suicide bomber was responsible for at least one of the explosions, the Brussels public prosecutor said, according to Belgian radio.
At least 11 were killed at the airport, the federal prosecutor said. Another 20 were killed at Maelbeek station, Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur told Belgian media.
"I heard one shot," Alphonse Lyoura, a baggage security officer at the airport who witnessed the explosion, told French broadcaster BFMTV. "But after the shot I heard someone who spoke an Arabic language. After a few words, there was an explosion, a loud detonation. Everyone was in a general panic, it was horrible. Belgium doesn't deserve this, seriously."
"I helped six or seven people. We pulled out five bodies that were no longer moving. It was a scene of horror. Belgium doesn't deserve this. There was a man who had lost both his legs, a policeman whose leg was completely smashed," Lyoura said in tears.
Three Utah men in Europe to serve the Paris mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were seriously injured in the airport attack, church officials said.
The men, identified as Richard Norby, 66, of Lehi, Joseph Empe, 20, of Santa Clara and Mason Wells, 19, of Sandy, were at the airport to accompany another Mormon missionary on her way to Ohio. A Mormon church official in Brussels said all three men were hospitalized.
A spokesperson for the Brussels transit system said 15 people had been killed and 55 injured in the Maelbeek attack.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel asked people in the city to remain indoors as Brussels came to a standstill and armed police and emergency services moved into the streets. Officials raised the terrorist threat to its maximum level.
All flights at the airport were canceled until further notice, and the entire Brussels transportation system was shut down. International train travel into Belgium was also suspended.
The incidents come four days after one of the suspects in November's fatal Paris terrorist attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was apprehended in Brussels after four months on the run.
Authorities said Abdeslam had helped create a jihadist network centered in the city and had been planning a fresh attack. A large cache of weapons had been discovered when he was captured, officials said. They also had warned of possible retaliatory attacks and said other terrorists were on the loose. No group so far has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks.
"ISIS is under increasing pressure in Europe," said Brian Levin, a Cal State San Bernardino professor and terrorism expert, using an acronym for Islamic State. "And timing-wise, particularly in Europe, this is speeding up their schedule of attacks. Frankly, there are more terror networks in Belgium and France, and ability to hide within a population that is supportive of them. ... Belgium is ground zero for ISIS networks in Europe."
"Belgium has sent more foreign fighters from Europe to ISIS front lines than any other country," he added.
President Obama, in Havana, prefaced a speech to the Cuban people by condemning "these outrageous attacks against innocent people."
"We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible," he added. "We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of those all around the world."
The White House said the president had spoken with Michel by phone, offering condolences and assistance.
In Washington, the Justice Department said FBI and counter-terrorism officials were working with their Belgian counterparts and that Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch had been briefed.
At a news conference, the Belgian prime minister urged people to remain calm but described the day as a black one for the country.
"Our country and our citizens have been struck by blind attacks, violent and cowardly, and our first thoughts are with the victims, with their families," he said.
British, French and German government officials issued statements pledging support for Belgium. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for "solidarity with the victims" in the "fight against terrorists."
At the train station, witnesses said they saw about a dozen people lying outside on the sidewalk.
A spokeswoman for Brussels Metro told Belgian TV that the explosion appeared to have been detonated inside a train car as it pulled into the station.
A passenger named Evan Lamos told the BBC he had been on a train heading into work and, like many other passengers, was reading news reports about the two blasts that had taken place at the airport earlier that morning.
As he approached Maelbeek station, he felt a blast of air and the train stopped.
"The lights turned out, the engine cut out and we heard a message come across the intercom saying there had been a disturbance on the line," he said.
A metro employee placed a ladder against the carriage and helped people off the train, directing them to walk back down the tunnel away from the blast.
"Everyone was walking out and helping each other," he said. "People were not really sure what was going on."
Inside the airport, there were scenes of chaos.
Jean-Pierre Lebeau, who had just arrived on a flight from Geneva, heard the first explosion. "We felt the blast. The ceiling fell in ... there was the smell of powder ... there was blood in the elevator," he told Agence France-Presse. "We took shelter with the border police, then we were told to evacuate."
"Everything is devastated. Nothing is left," one man, who was inside the airport at the time, told Belgian TV.
Some passengers sought shelter by running down baggage carousels, and others were herded onto the tarmac to wait until the area was cleared.
One passenger, Elena Chad, had just checked in to her flight to Philadelphia and was in Starbucks near the departure gates when people started to run and panic around her.
Passengers were rushed towards the gates where they would usually board buses to be taken to their planes and were taken to the DHL cargo terminal, she said.
People from all over the world -- Dubai, India, Africa -- were all gathered together, many dressed only in thin clothes and shivering from cold.
Chad said that as the travelers were taken down onto the tarmac, a group of African missionaries tried to lift people's spirits by singing.
Outside the terminal, shattered windowpanes were visible and people were seen running away as plumes of black smoke billowed from the building.
Airport officials said the site was being evacuated and warned: "Don't come to the area."
"There were glass splinters, smoke, water dripping from the ceiling," one witness told Belgian TV. "I was just waiting for my suitcase and someone said, 'This is an evacuation.'"