Brussels attacks bring terror to heart of Europe

BRUSSELS was struck on Tuesday by major, apparently coordinated terrorist bombings - at the airport and on the metro system - that have killed at least 34 people and injured an estimated 250. The attacks at the heart of the de facto capital of the European Union occurred only four days after the arrest in the city of Salah Abdeslam, Europe's "most wanted man" and one of the Belgians linked to the Paris atrocities in November. He was caught after an intense police shootout, and Belgian authorities had previously warned of potential reprisal actions, of which the attacks may be one.

With the Belgian government now on the highest state of alert and Brussels locked down, it appears that the self-ascribed Islamic State (IS) terrorist group was responsible for the attacks, among the worst terrorist crimes on European soil in recent years. In subsequent raids in Brussels, authorities have discovered an IS flag and also a stack of chemical products, plus explosive devices containing nails.

While key uncertainties remain, there are signs of potential connections between Tuesday's atrocities and with Abdeslam's arrest, as underlined by the comments of Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders who said at the weekend that Abdeslam "was ready to restart something in Brussels, and it may be the reality because we have found a lot of weapons, heavy weapons . . . and a new network around him in Brussels". A similar point was made by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel who asserted on Tuesday that "what we feared has happened".