On Tuesday, March 22, at about 8 a.m. local time, three explosions struck the city of Brussels, killing at least 34 people and wounding at least 170. Two explosions hit Zaventem Airport, the city’s main international airport and about 30 minutes later a third explosion rocked Maelbeek metro station, a subway station in the heart of the city.
At least one of the attacks was likely the result of a suicide bomber, a Belgian federal prosecutor reported. He classified the morning attacks as the “work of terrorists.” Belgian authorities do not know if these events are connected with Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested last Friday and was the sole survivor of the ten men believed to have been involved with the November Paris attacks.
These attacks put the Belgian capital in a state of lockdown. All flights to and from Brussels Airport were canceled for the day and flights in the air were diverted. Subway, tram and bus travel was also shut down.