Brussels airport reopens with more security
Brussels Airport reopened with three "symbolic" flights and strict additional security checks for passengers after the recent attacks by ISIS suicide bombers. Brussels Airport chief executive Arnaud Feist said the partial resumption of services started with three "symbolic passenger flights" to Faro, Athens and Turin. The airport is currently running at 20% capacity and the number of flights will increase in the coming days.
At least 13 people were killed, and several injured in multiple explosions at the airport and the metro station in Brussels. The first two blasts occured at the departures area of Zaventem airport shortly after 08:00 (07:00 GMT). An hour later, an explosion hit Maalbeek metro station, situated close to the EU institutions. Both the metro system and the airport have been shut down.
According to unconfirmed reports, 23 people have been killed in the attacks. While 13 were dead at the Zaventem airport, 10 people were killed in the blast at the Maelbeek metro station
Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, condemned the terror attacks. "My thoughts with #Brussels and its citizens after these heinous attacks. Stay in a safe place, follow instructions of authorities," Schulz tweeted. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted that the government was focusing its efforts on providing assistance to those wounded in the attack and warned the public to 'avoid any movement' .
Belgian media said they understood the explosions were a suicide attack. The attacks come four days after Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris attacks, was captured in Brussels. The city was on high alert following Abdeslam's arrest and the country's Ministry of Interior was anticipating a retaliatory response. Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.
Two Indian crew members of Jet Airways were reportedly injured at the Brussels airport. Brussels is the European hub for Jet Airways, where four of its aircraft touch down daily. Three flights arrived and another was pending when the blasts occurred. Jet Airways said all other flights to Brussels had been canceled. No other Indian casualties have been reported so far.
Militants with the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly terror attack in Brussels that left over 35 people dead and injured several others. Belgian prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said suspects had been identified on CCTV and a massive manhunt had been launched. He said searches were taking place "in several parts of the country", adding that an explosive device was found in Schaerbeek
An Indian employee of global software major Infosys Ltd. is missing in the aftermath of the recent terror attacks in Brussels. The information came to light after Infosys released a press statement stating that their employee, Raghavendra Ganeshan was unaccounted for. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted stating that she was in touch with Ganeshan's mother and efforts were on to locate him.
Belgian police have arrested six people in Brussels as a major investigation continued into the attacks that claimed 31 lives in the city last week. The arrests were made in the Schaerbeek district after police conducted house-to-house searches in the area. There is no word yet on the identities of the suspects or their possible connection to the attacks.
The Belgian police continued its manhunt in the search for more suspects. Previous arrests and raids had revealed more connections with the November Paris attacks and an indication of a new French plot. President Hollande said the jihadist network which had attacked both Brussels and Paris was being "destroyed" but also cautioned that the peril remained and that everyone must be on a lookout.
A huge manhunt launched by Belgian authorities, netted a suspect identified by local media as Faycal Cheffou, who was believed to be the third airport bomber, whose device failed to detonate. Officials charged him with "terrorism murder", in a breakthrough for security forces facing criticism for letting suspects slip through the net. Meanwhile, Brussels airport will remain shut until Tuesday according to official sources.
Faycal Cheffou, the sole suspect charged over last week's Brussels attacks was released following a lack of evidence linking him to the carnage, Belgian prosecutors said. Authorities were unable to detain him further after a magistrate asked for more evidence to charge him with terrorism related offence. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Belgium tweeted that Raghavendran Ganeshan had died in the metro station blast.
