One Person Arrested in Brussels Attack
- By Sydny Shepard
- Mar 23, 2016
During the morning traffic hours in Brussels, Belgium, three explosions killed 31 people dead and left another 271 wounded at two different explosion sites: Brussels Airport and a metro station in Maelbeek.
Shortly after the attacks, police were able to gather a still frame photo from the airport surveillance that showed three men with luggage carts. Officials believed these three men to be associated with the tragic events as two of them were dressed in all black, with one glove covering their left hands (a possible way to hide a detonator) and the other was wearing a hat and long trench coat pushed a large luggage bag that was thought to have contained a bomb.
The two men in black were identified as brothers Khalid and Brahim El Bakraoui. Both men were suspected of having ties to the November 13 carnage in the French capital. Officials believe the two men were suicide bombers and died at the airport during the blasts. Identifying them, however, is a big move forward in the investigation to find out how large the scope of connections runs in the Belgium town.
One person has been arrested after the terrorist attacks in Belgium, through the country’s federal prosecutor said that the man believed to have been the third person (dressed in hat and coat, as mentioned before) taking part directly in the Brussels airport attack still remains on the run.
Police were also able to put together a timeline of the events at the airport. The first two explosives went off within 37 seconds of each other shortly before 8 a.m. on March 22. The third suspect, the one who is still at large, left another bomb that did not explode around that time. Instead, authorities detonated it in a controlled explosion that did not result in any casualties.
While there is an abundance of information on the airport explosions, there is very little that has been publicly revealed about the bombing at the Maelbeek metro station. Police believe the lack of information is due to the fact that the station lacked security measures that the airport did have, such as video surveillance where the police were able to pull the picture of the three suspects.
It is believe that through the evidence found at the airport, and within the scene of the crime in the metro station, the police can begin to peel back the pieces of the onion and form an idea about what happened on the train.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.