Two Explosions at Brussels Zaventem Airport; One Explosion at Maalbeek Metro Station, Brussels

UPDATE: Tuesday morning, March 22, 2016, three coordinated nail bombings occurred in Belgium: two explosions occurred at the international departure hall of Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and one explosion occurred at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels. Casualty reports included 31 victims killed, three suicide bombers killed, and 330 people injured. Another bomb was found during a search of the airport. Two suspects are at large. The organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The March 22 bombings came soon after the March 18 arrest of Salah Abdeslam, a suspected accomplice in the November 2015 Paris attacks. Abdeslam was captured after two anti-terrorist raids in Molenbeek that killed another suspect and injured two others. At least one other suspect remains at large. Belgian investigators have reported they suspect that Abdeslam’s arrest may have prompted terrorists to move up the date of the Brussels bombings.

+ + +

Brussels transportation industry has been hit by at least three explosions after terrorists attacked the airport and metro.

A suicide bomber attacked at Brussels airport starting with words shouted in Arabic then shots fired and two blasts near the American Airlines check-in desk.

Passengers ran for their lives shortly after 8am local time (07:00 GMT). The airport was immediately placed on lockdown with all flights cancelled and rail transportation to the airport suspended.

An hour later, an explosion was heard at a city centre metro station in what appears to be a separate terror attack.

An explosion was also reported at another metro station (developing).

The bombing attacks occurred four days after Salah Abdeslam was arrested in the Belgian capital in relation to November’s terror attacks on Paris.

 ZAVENTEM AIRPORT … 

 MAALBEEK …