Why? It's not like it is softer than any train station. The point of airport security is to ensure the bombs don't get on the planes.
Explosions reported at Brussels airport.
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Why? It's not like it is softer than any train station. The point of airport security is to ensure the bombs don't get on the planes.
I'm reading in The Guardian that there are reports from French media that one explosion was near the runway.
Media over here reported one explosion near the SN Brussels Airlines stall and one near the American Airlines stall, both are in the general area of the departures hall. Anyone can get in there. Haven't read anything about an explosion near a runway.
No matter what happens at an airport, whether it be a terrorist bomb or an aircraft technical fault...journalists always seem to say something about it being near the 'runway' to make it seem more dramatic.
Most airports don't have their terminals anywhere near a runway. Unless it was on an aircraft, any bomb near a runway is likely to only harm rabbits
Talk of explosions at 3 different metro stations: Maalbeek, Schuman and Kunst-Wet.
I agree about bombs on planes , but if they cant get them to the planes the next best place for them is the check in hall where you pass not security , just like a train station, but really any place where there is a large crowd would be a target.
How do you stop them , the simple fact is you cant.
You cannot prepare for these type of situations unless we treat the airport like a prison. Which will mean security checks to everyone entering or leaving the airport. Likewise at any train station. Today will be another dark day. Thoughts go out to the families effected.
10 dead in the metros is being reported.
FFS 13 killed at the airport and 10 at the Metro station. sad day RIP to the dead 
True - it's basically walking off the street into a massive check in hall there.
My dad was just saying this but wherever you put checks, you're going to have a build up of people waiting behind them. That's what the departure hall is and if you put the checks at the door, the people will just be queuing up outside and the feckers will attack them there.
Look at a place like Maelbaek station - the entrance to it is alongside a large and busy road. Stopping and checking people at the door would just not be feasible and I don't see it being any safer.
Can't imagine there will "only" be 13 dead at the airport. I've been in that departure hall countless times for business trips during that time of the day, it would've been absolutely packed. And looking at the state of it... Sadly I'm expecting that number to grow in future reports. I hope I'm wrong.
I said the same to my wife , Brussels like any major airport is very busy in the morning.
And Paris was itself taken from other terrorist incidents, most notable of all being likely being the Mumbai attacks of 2008.
Mumbai , Paris and now Brussels, where next ? sadly is is not a case of if only when.
In India it is sort of like this already. Only people with valid air ticket and passport can enter the airport. Think this will be adopted across several airports now.
Been to Brussels airport many times myself. Very surreal to think of such places being blown up where you have been multiple times.
It is the same here but you have to a a landside area for drop off and check in and pick-up , that is the soft area.
Where does that area start ? do you put road blocks up and make them walk the rest of the way after having bags checks, that is just not possible
If you seal off one thing they will just move somewhere else. It happened when airside security was tightened up. Stop people getting in the airport at all and next it will be train stations, or sporting events, or something else. These things can only be stopped at the source.
Yep. A determined bunch of loonies will always be able to cause damage. It scares the shit out of me to think how lax security is during big stadium or arena events.
Yes, unfortunately. I'd also add that it's not THAT hard to design security measures against people who want to do nasty stuff AND get away with it. But it's impossible to devise effective security against people who are willing to die.
Yep, I have, and thanks, she is.
We all have to accept a certain level of risk if we want to live in a free society...
Having said that, Belgium have to accept a certain level of responsibility for what they allowed to happen in Molenbeek. They have been combing that area for the last 4 months, the Paris attacker was still there! and no doubt these terrorists came from that area as well. Communities need to be held to account.
Having said that, Belgium have to accept a certain level of responsibility for what they allowed to happen in Molenbeek. They have been combing that area for the last 4 months, the Paris attacker was still there! and no doubt these terrorists came from that area as well. Communities need to be held to account.
Sky have just reported there were no fatalities at Maelbaek but multiple injuries. It's a miracle if that's true but great to hear.
I agree, but can see how difficult it must be. Those neighbourhoods are almost 80% immigrants. I used to live and work in and around Brussels. There are pockets of Brussels where if you were plunked down there without being told where you were you would think you were in Tunis or Rabat or Baghdad. Of course it's the minority, but I don't think race relations are good there and they might have made things even worse. I am almost convinced there are really 100s of disaffected youth in those areas who are up for becoming martyrs. I saw an interview recently (after Paris) where a guy with an arabic name basically said that it's really hard for any of that group of young arabs to get jobs. Then you have the discord between the Flemish and the Walloons......if only people could be a bit more tolerant and less discriminatory generally, but alas that's the tribal trait in us and it's not being neutralised any time soon.
I hope so, but Flemish papers still mostly reporting 10 dead.
Gare du Nord and the Palace of Justice both being evacuated. Hopefully precautionary measures.
If no one died at Maelbeek, then everybody is very lucky:
I don't really know what to say about it. Hopefully this wont be anywhere near the scale of Paris.
Although it feels like we are living in a terrible time, we are living in a time of unprecedented peace.
We mustn't let them take that from us
Although it feels like we are living in a terrible time, we are living in a time of unprecedented peace.
We mustn't let them take that from us
Waiting to hear back from a lot of my friends who still live in Brussels. One of my best friends lived right next to Maelbeek, I was down there quite often at Place Jourdan this time last year.
Media are reporting that the border between France and Belgium is being closed, and it looks like there is some truth to it
You can see on the map all the other road closures too. I can understand they dont want the embarrassment of them crossing into France, but there are a hell of a lot of ways across.
You can see on the map all the other road closures too. I can understand they dont want the embarrassment of them crossing into France, but there are a hell of a lot of ways across.
Fecking hell this is awful Like others have said, the number of deaths will only grow as time passes unfortunately, my thoughts are with their families right now.
My dad works in Brussels, I woke up 30min ago and had a couple of texts "is your dad okay?" and "have you heard from him?" which immediately makes you think the worst. I really panicked when he didn't pick up the first couple of times but fortunately everything is 'okay'. It's supposed to be absolute mayhem in the city centre though.
This could be repercussions for the detention of Salah Abdeslam on Friday which means they can act very fast and effectively if so... Sad times ahead, it's only months between the explosions here and in Paris now.
Like others have said, the number of deaths will only grow as time passes unfortunately, my thoughts are with their families right now.My dad works in Brussels, I woke up 30min ago and had a couple of texts "is your dad okay?" and "have you heard from him?" which immediately makes you think the worst. I really panicked when he didn't pick up the first couple of times but fortunately everything is 'okay'. It's supposed to be absolute mayhem in the city centre though.
This could be repercussions for the detention of Salah Abdeslam on Friday which means they can act very fast and effectively if so... Sad times ahead, it's only months between the explosions here and in Paris now.
Just seen a report saying 30 dead in Maelbeek alone. Kinell.
Apparently the Belgian mobile networks have been shut down too so anyone struggling to get in touch shouldn't worry too much.
I was wondering that too but I hope the timing is coincidental. It's frightening to think they could plan coordinated attacks on an airport and metro station in such a short time frame.Fecking hell this is awful
My dad works in Brussels, I woke up 30min ago and had a couple of texts "is your dad okay?" and "have you heard from him?" which immediately makes you think the worst. I really panicked when he didn't pick up the first couple of times but fortunately everything is 'okay'. It's supposed to be absolute mayhem in the city centre though.
This could be repercussions for the detention of Salah Abdeslam on Friday which means they can act very fast and effectively if so... Sad times ahead, it's only months between the explosions here and in Paris now.
Just out of curiosity, where in Belgium are you located?
Is the reasoning for this to restrict communication? Because won't it just push them onto Whatsapp and the like (which they're probably using anyway)?
And now the Police are taking down people with rucksacks at Gare du Nord......saying they are taking no risks:
