The third man seen in airport
surveillance video has been arrested in connection to Tuesday’s terror
attacks in Brussels, according to European sources.
He was spotted in security footage from the Brussels
Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, is believed to have been involved in a
series of explosions in the Belgian capital Tuesday that killed at least
31 people and injured at least 230 others. People were first killed at the airport when two bombs were detonated Tuesday morning. In a separate attack, a deadly explosive was also detonated on the rail tracks of the Maelbeek subway station, according to a spokeswoman for Brussels’ transportation department.
The attacks occurred four days after authorities captured Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the Paris attacks that killed 130 people last November.
In a surveillance photo released after the attack, the subject of the overnight manhunt can be seen accompanied by two men who are thought to be dead after detonating suicide bombs at the airport, the Belgium Federal Prosecutor said in a press conference. The alleged suicide bombers are wearing black and a single glove each in the photo, while the now-arrested suspect is wearing a light-colored jacket and hat obscuring part of his face.
A third bomb, which did not explode, was found in a suitcase at the airport, leading authorities to believe the other bombs were also hidden inside suitcases. The man wearing the light jacket can be seen in the photo with a black suitcase authorities believe contained the bomb they found unexploded.
Police released a bulletin Tuesday evening saying they were searching for the man in the light jacket, asking for public assistance in finding him. A senior U.S. official briefed on the case confirms that the IDs of the suspected attackers have been shared with U.S. authorities.
An ISIS-affiliated website claimed that ISIS "fighters" were responsible for the attacks. A statement on the site says the terror group "carried out a series of bombings with explosive belts and devices" in "the Belgian capital Brussels, a country participating in the international coalition against the Islamic State [ISIS].”
The website’s claims have not been independently verified, nor have Belgian authorities made an official statement regarding the terror group’s possible involvement in the attacks.
Belgian Ambassador to the U.S. Johan Verbeke told reporters that "statements ... cries" in Arabic were reportedly heard at the airport, "so that is the first indication of what the source is maybe, but I don't want to elaborate on that because that is definitely something that has to be further investigated."
Verbeke said he did not know what was allegedly said in Arabic.
During a raid in the Brussels neighborhood of Schaerbeek following the attacks, authorities say police found an “explosive device containing nails,” “chemical products” and “an ISIS flag."
The city's international airport will stay closed through at least Thursday.
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning to Americans for all of Europe, citing the threat of “near-term” attacks.
"Terrorist groups continue to plan near-term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation,” the alert said. “U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using mass transportation.”
No
Americans have yet been counted among the dead, but at least nine were
injured in Tuesday’s attacks, including three Mormon missionaries, as
well as a member of the U.S. Air Force and five of his family members.
0 comments:
Post a Comment