BRUSSELS – At least 26 people were killed in twin attacks
on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train in the Belgian capital on
Tuesday, triggering security alerts across western Europe and bringing some
cross-border transport to a halt.

A witness said he heard shouts in Arabic shortly before
two blasts struck a packed airport departure lounge at Brussels airport. The
federal prosecutor said one of the blasts was probably triggered by a suicide
bomber.

The Belgian health minister said 11 people were killed in
the airport bombing and 81 wounded.

The blasts at the airport and metro station occurred four
days after the arrest in Brussels of a suspected participant in November
militant attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

Belgian police and combat troops on the streets had been
on alert for any reprisal action but the attacks took place in crowded public
areas where people and bags are not searched.

Video showed devastation in the hall with ceiling tiles
and glass scattered across the floor. Some passengers emerged from the terminal
with blood spattered over their clothes. Smoke rose from the building through
shattered windows and passengers fled down a slipway, some still hauling their
bags.

Many of the dead and wounded were badly injured in the
legs, one airport told Reuters, suggesting at least one bomb in a bag.

Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands, all wary of
spillover from conflict in Syria, were among states announcing extra security
measures.

All public transport in Brussels was shut down, as it was
in London during 2005 islamist militant attacks there that killed 52.
Authorities appealed to citizens not to use overloaded telephone networks,
extra troops were sent into the city and the Belgian Crisis Centre, clearly
wary of a further incident, appealed to the population: “Stay where you
are”.

British Sky News television’s Alex Rossi, at the airport,
said he heard two “very, very loud explosions”.

“I could feel the building move. There was also dust
and smoke as well…I went towards where the explosion came from and there were
people coming out looking very dazed and shocked.”

Alphonse Youla, 40, who works at the airport, told Reuters
he heard a man shouting out in Arabic before the first explosion. “Then
the glass ceiling of the airport collapsed.”

“I helped carry out five people dead, their legs
destroyed,” he said, his hands covered in blood.

A witness said the blasts occurred at a check-in desk.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel spoke of “a
black time for our country”.

“What we feared has come to pass. Our country has
been struck by attacks which are blind, violent and cowardly.”

The STIB public transport operator said 15 were killed on
board the metro train and 55 injured. Belga news agency cited the fire brigade
as saying 11 were killed at the airport, but there was still some uncertainty
about casualties.

The blast hit the train as it left Maelbeek station, close
to European Union institutions, heading to the city centre.

The VRT public broadcaster carried a photograph of a metro
carriage at a platform with doors and windows completely blown out, its
structure deformed and the interior mangled and charred.

A local journalist tweeted a photograph of a person lying
covered in blood among smoke outside Maelbeek metro station, on the main Rue de
la Loi avenue which connects central Brussels with the EU institutions.
Ambulances were ferrying the wounded away and sirens rang out across the area.

The federal prosecutor told a news conference one of the
two explosions at the airport was likely to have been caused by a suicide
bomber.

FLIGHTS
CANCELLED, PASSENGERS EVACUATED

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told the news
conference: “What we had feared has come to pass. Our country has been
struck by attacks that are blind, violent and cowardly.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose country is
also on a high security alert, expressed shock over the attack. “We will
do everything we can to help.”

Brussels airport said it had cancelled all flights until
at least 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Wednesday and the complex had been evacuated and
trains to the airport had been stopped. Passengers were taken to coaches from
the terminal that would remove them to a secure area.

All three main long-distance rail stations in Brussels
were closed and train services on the cross-channel tunnel from London to
Brussels were suspended.

Security services have been on a high state of alert
across western Europe for fear of militant attacks backed by Islamic State,
which claimed responsibility for the Paris attack.

While most European airports are known for stringent
screening procedures of passengers and their baggage, that typically takes
place only once passengers have checked in and are heading to the departure
gates.

Although there may be discreet surveillance, there is
nothing to prevent member of the public walking in to the departure hall at
Zaventem airport with heavy baggage.

Following an attempted ramraid attack at Glasgow Airport
in 2007, several airports stepped up security at entrances by altering the
pick-up and drop-off zones to prevent private cars getting too close to
terminal buildings.

European stocks fell after the explosions, particularly
travel sector stocks including airlines and hotels, pulling the broader indices
down from multi-week highs. Safe-haven assets, gold and government bonds rose
in price.

French citizen Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect
for November’s Paris attacks on a stadium, cafes and a concert hall, was
captured by Belgian police after a shootout on Friday.

Belgium’s Interior Minister, Jan Jambon, said on Monday
the country was on high alert for a revenge attack.

“We know that stopping one cell can … push others
into action. We are aware of it in this case,” he told public radio.

–
Reuters