Lara Prendergast Lara Prendergast

Islamic State claim responsibility for terror attack in Brussels

  • At least 14 dead after two explosions by ‘suicide bombers’ at American Airlines check-in desk at Brussels airport. 81 injured. Firemen are said to have found a third unexploded device.
  • Separate explosion at Maelbeek metro station in Brussels city centre, 500 metres from an EU institution. At least 20 dead and 55 injured.
  • Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack.
  • Brussels airport and the city’s Metro have shut down. The airport will remain closed until 6am on Wednesday morning.
  • All Eurostar trains to and from Brussels have been cancelled. All trains to Brussels stations from Paris have been cancelled.
  • The attacks come four days after the arrest in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam, a suspected participant in November’s attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
  • France has announced it is deploying an extra 1,600 police at its borders.
  • The Belgian federal prosecutor has confirmed that the three explosions this morning were terror attacks.

Islamic State have now claimed responsibility for the attack. A news agency affiliated with the group has released the following statement:

Islamic State fighters carried out a series of bombings with explosive belts and devices on Tuesday, targeting an airport and a central metro station in the centre of the Belgian capital Brussels.

Police have also released a photo of a man they wish to question. The

Lara Prendergast
Written by
Lara Prendergast
Lara Prendergast is executive editor of The Spectator. She hosts two Spectator podcasts, The Edition and Table Talk, and edits The Spectator’s food and drink coverage.

Topics in this article

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in