Terror attacks: explosions in the departure hall of Brussels Airport!

[b720]

I too would avoid BRU, if I would need to line up for a ridiculous, and dangerous police search before entering the terminal. I will switch to ANR and AMS.

[Conti764]

Why they keep so stubborn about this non-issue? My best guess is to have some leverage in the negociations with authorities/BAC about issues long standing... Mind you, many issues have been lingering on since many years and I fully understand their issues, accept for

(a) the demand for pre-entry check-in
(b) the timing and the circumstances

I wass fully supportive of the actions done some time ago in which passengers had to qeue for a long time and I would be fully supportive of any such actions in the future. Blocking the reopening of the airport in such harsh times for the airport and everybody depending on it, I do not support the least... I hope common sense will return quickly to all parties involved.

[koja78]

To have the example of IST, these checks before the departure hall are inside the terminal. The front area is a large glassed zone with screening machines. Terrorists can blow themselves up in that zone killing at least as much people and doing a huge amount of damage to the terminal building as well.

I'm not familiar with other airports where they have such screening, but I suppose in most cases it is not actually outside the terminal but in the front zone or at least directly adjacent to it?

That's simply moving the problem, you won't avoid any human casualties and depending on the set up you can seriously damage the infrastructure having a similar effect as now with BRU being closed or partly closed for a very long time.

I seem to remember passing through a very tight one lane security scanner setup in IST somewhere in the basement of the terminal? (might be wrong)
I believe ADB (Izmir) also has a security check prior to entering the terminal.

[SN539]

I too would avoid BRU, if I would need to line up for a ridiculous, and dangerous police search before entering the terminal. I will switch to ANR and AMS.

For sure same for me

[sn26567]

I too would avoid BRU, if I would need to line up for a ridiculous, and dangerous police search before entering the terminal. I will switch to ANR and AMS.

You might as well have the same search at all Belgian airports: no discrimination!

[sn26567]

An interesting article on how Jet Airways, who had four planes on the ground during the attacks, responded to the crisis situation.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ind ... 690975.cms

[Passenger]

There are several press reports that "the man with the hat" has been arrested (= the third terrorist from Brussels Airport).

edited on request: head -> hat

[FLYAIR10]

As widely known in the meantime, the wounded people of the 22/3 attacks were transported to several hospitals allover Belgium and France.
Within the hour after the attacks at Brussels airport, the Leuven hospital 'Gasthuisberg' had to take care of 24 victims,15 of which were heavily wounded.
Planned 'routine' surgeries were postponed and all operationrooms were quickly set up and manned by available personnel to take care of the wounded coming from the airport. Many nurses and doctors came to their action stations before their offical shift was to start in order to help their colleagues .
After the attack in Maalbeek-metro station the hospital also started to call back doctors and nurses off-duty.

The medical staff was confronted with type of wounds most of them were not used to.Only one doctor had gathered some experience in this field after having participated in a few missions in Afghanistan with the military..

The hospital also had to help in the identification and determination of the 'official' death cause of 18 victims,including 2 terrorists.
Also some 700 'bodyparts' had to be examined and 'identified'.

Full article below.

Source: (Dutch only)
http://nieuws.kuleuven.be/node/16594?ut ... apr-alumni

see also (in English)

http://www.kuleuven.be/english/news/201 ... als-leuven

[Passenger]

The public hearing about 22/03 has started in the Belgian federal Parliament today (Parlementaire Onderzoekscommissie / Commission d'enquête parlementaire).

NL
http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cf ... 619-014_00

FR
http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cf ... 619-014_00

A lot of operational details have already been given. Remarkable was how the third bomb was discovered. Most people will remember that an evacuation was ordered quite soon after the two bomb blasts. This is what happened: staff from the BRU office where the cctv images were followed/stored, quickly traced three suspects. They knew that only two bombs that exploded, so their conclusion was that a third bomb hadn't exploded. They alerted the police who then immediately evacuated into a large perimeter (away from the Sheraton and the parkings). DOVO/SEDEE, who was already called to the airport immediately after the two bomb blasts, then confirmed that the third travel bag had a bomb indeed, a-nd Dovo/Sedee did a controlled explosion.

Excellent report by the way by the BRU police commissioner Jean-Pierre Devos (diensthoofd Afdeling Politiezorg, luchtvaartpolitie Brussel / chef du service de la division Police, police aéronautique de Bruxelles-national).

[Conti764]

The public hearing about 22/03 has started in the Belgian federal Parliament today (Parlementaire Onderzoekscommissie / Commission d'enquête parlementaire).

NL
http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cf ... 619-014_00

FR
http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cf ... 619-014_00

A lot of operational details have already been given. Remarkable was how the third bomb was discovered. Most people will remember that an evacuation was ordered quite soon after the two bomb blasts. This is what happened: staff from the BRU office where the cctv images were followed/stored, quickly traced three suspects. They knew that only two bombs that exploded, so their conclusion was that a third bomb hadn't exploded. They alerted the police who then immediately evacuated into a large perimeter (away from the Sheraton and the parkings). DOVO/SEDEE, who was already called to the airport immediately after the two bomb blasts, then confirmed that the third travel bag had a bomb indeed, a-nd Dovo/Sedee did a controlled explosion.

Excellent report by the way by the BRU police commissioner Jean-Pierre Devos (diensthoofd Afdeling Politiezorg, luchtvaartpolitie Brussel / chef du service de la division Police, police aéronautique de Bruxelles-national).

Where do you find more information? I can only see 'Dossier' but can't click on it...

[Passenger]

The public hearing about 22/03 has started in the Belgian federal Parliament today (Parlementaire Onderzoekscommissie / Commission d'enquête parlementaire).
NL
http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cf ... 619-014_00
FR
http://www.dekamer.be/kvvcr/showpage.cf ... 619-014_00

A lot of operational details have already been given. Remarkable was how the third bomb was discovered. Most people will remember that an evacuation was ordered quite soon after the two bomb blasts. This is what happened: staff from the BRU office where the cctv images were followed/stored, quickly traced three suspects. They knew that only two bombs that exploded, so their conclusion was that a third bomb hadn't exploded. They alerted the police who then immediately evacuated into a large perimeter (away from the Sheraton and the parkings). DOVO/SEDEE, who was already called to the airport immediately after the two bomb blasts, then confirmed that the third travel bag had a bomb indeed, a-nd Dovo/Sedee did a controlled explosion.

Excellent report by the way by the BRU police commissioner Jean-Pierre Devos (diensthoofd Afdeling Politiezorg, luchtvaartpolitie Brussel / chef du service de la division Police, police aéronautique de Bruxelles-national).

Where do you find more information? I can only see 'Dossier' but can't click on it...

It seems that there is no link yet to past sessions. The meetings are live broadcasted (tv and Parliament livestream), so it's just a technical issue probably.

I watched it on Actua TV live - http://www.actua.tv/

[sn26567]

Islamic State mistakes lessened Brussels airport attack death toll

The Islamic State militants who carried out the Brussels airport attacks in March made a series of mistakes that potentially lessened the death toll, investigators said.

A Belgium parliamentary inquiry committee, tasked with investigating the March 22 bombings at the Brussels Airport and Maelbeek railway station, learned some of the mistakes allowed travellers to escape the airport after the two bombs exploded at 7:59 a.m. Some 32 people were killed and 300 injured in the attacks.

After the first suicide bomber, Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, detonated his explosive near the Delta Air Lines counter, the second attacker, Najim Laachraoui, made a movement that caused his explosive luggage to fall off a luggage cart. That changed the trajectory of the blast away from travellers in the airport, The Wall Street Journal reported. The third attacker, Mohamed Abrini, abandoned his bomb without detonating it and ran out of the airport with the crowd.

Source: UPI

[Conti764]

The first IED was at the leisure terminal, nowhere near the DL counters...

[teach]

The first IED was at the leisure terminal, nowhere near the DL counters...

DL check-in was in the leisure terminal, wasn't it?

[Conti764]

Realy?? It's been years since I've been inside BRU and back then DL checked in adjacent to their ticket counters...

[Kris]

Realy?? It's been years since I've been inside BRU and back then DL checked in adjacent to their ticket counters...

Check-in for DL was indeed in the "old" terminal when I flew them in february this year

[RoMax]

Realy?? It's been years since I've been inside BRU and back then DL checked in adjacent to their ticket counters...

Check-in for DL was indeed in the "old" terminal when I flew them in february this year

They indeed used row 11, the 5 self service kiosks in departure hall 2 were exclusively used by them as well.
The first bomb exploded right in front of their check-in desks, just meters away.

[Passenger]

Police & justice are organizing several rehearsals today, with "assistance" from one of the three BRU murderers.

The one for Brussels Airport is set for 22h00, after the last passenger has checked in (= Aeroflot's Moscow).

(source VTM)

[Conti764]

Rehearsal? Reconstruction of the crime scene is a better way to put it

[Passenger]

Rehearsal? Reconstruction of the crime scene is a better way to put it

I don't have any translation books anymore, but reconstruction isn't the right translation for reconstructie neither. Anyway, most important news was that it confirms that one of the three murderers is arrested indeed, and that police will know exactly what happened that day. It won't bring any victims back, but to know what happened helps the relatives to get on with their lives.