The fall-out from the Brussels terrorist attacks

On 22 March 2016, Belgium got a brutal wake-up call. In a coordinated attack, two nail bombs exploded in the departure hall of the Brussels National Airport. A little over an hour later, a third bomb exploded inside a metro train passing through Maelbeek station. 32 civilians lost their lives, while more than 300 people were injured. The Islamic State (IS) network, which was responsible for the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015, claimed responsibility. The arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the sole survivor of the Paris attacks, on 18 March, seems to have made IS expedite the Brussels attacks following a claim from the Paris prosecutor that Abdeslam would cooperate with the French Justice Department over the Paris attacks.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Brussels attacks: Zaventem and Maelbeek bombs kill many / Terror hits the capital of Europe http://www.europeansources.info/record/brussels-attacks-zaventem-and-maelbeek-bombs-kill-many-terror-hits-the-capital-of-europe/

ESO: Background information: Stronger EU action to better tackle violent radicalisation leading to terrorism http://www.europeansources.info/record/stronger-eu-action-to-better-tackle-violent-radicalisation-leading-to-terrorism/

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