Brussels is on edge after three deadly terrorist explosions hit the city's main international airport and its subway station on Tuesday, killing atleast 34 people, NY Times reported. (Mar 22).
The subway station, of the two locations to have been hit, is near the headquarters of the European Union.
Officials believe that at least one of the two airport blasts were set off by a suicide bomber.
14 people were killed at the airport and 20 at the subway station. In addition, there were many wounded - 92 at the airport and 106 at the subway station.
The afternoon then saw ISIS claiming responsibility for the attack through Amaq, a news agency affiliated with the Islamic State. Amaq issued a bulletin claiming that the blasts were carried out using explosive belts and devices.
"We were fearing terrorist attacks, and that has now happened," Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium said he had been fearing just this.
He called the attacks "blind, violent, cowardly," and asked the people on Twitter to avoid movement as authorities get ready to counter the possibility that there may be more violence.
World leaders have responded to the attacks. David Cameron, Prime Minister of Britain called an emergency meeting of ministers. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Foreign Minister of Germany said that the attacks were in fact an attack at the heart of Europe. Pope Francis has also expressed his condolences.
President Obama, on his historic three day visit to Cuba, spoke from Havana and expressed his solidarity with the victims of the Brussels attacks. He used the even to appeal for world unity regardless of nationality, race or faith. He also vowed to defeat anyone threatening the safety and security of the people in the whole world.
The attacks followed very closely the capture, on Friday, of Europe's most wanted man, Salah Abdeslam. He is the only one to have survived the 10 men who are believed to have been involved in the ISIS Paris attacks on Nov. 13, which killed 130 people.
