Terror attacks in Brussels

This item appears on page 15 of the May 2016 issue.

Suicide bombers targeted Belgium’s Brussels Airport (BRU) and the Brussels metro on March 22, killing at least 32 people, including four Americans, and injuring over 300 more. The Islamist militant group Daesh (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks. 

Three men entered the airport with bombs in their baggage. Two of the bombs were detonated, killing the bombers, while the third bomb was abandoned, with the police detonating it later. 

One of the deceased bombers was identified as the suspected manufacturer of the bombs used in the November 2015 Paris attacks. The third bomber, who fled without detonating his device, was still being sought by police as of press time.

About an hour after the airport attack, a third suicide bomber detonated his bomb at the Maalbeek metro station, near EU headquarters, in Brussels.

Flights to and from the airport were suspended until April 3, at which time the airport only partially reopened. American Airlines canceled all flights to Brussels until April 7. As of press time, all Brussels metro stations except Maalbeek were open.