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Brussels attacks: airport suicide bomber el-Bakraoui 'caught in Turkey last June' – live Brussels attacks: airport suicide bomber el-Bakraoui 'caught in Turkey last June' – live
(35 minutes later)
11.50pm GMT
23:50
One of France’s best known ‘public intellectuals,’ Bernard-Henri Lévy, has been sharing his thoughts on the Brussels attacks, and concludes that “Europe is now in a state of emergency”
“What happened in Brussels presented a new scale,” he told BBC Newsnight a little earlier, suggesting that that ISIS could only be defeated through concerted military action to destroy its training camps. Here’s a snatch of what he said:
"Europe is now in a state of emergency... it is not only war, it is general war": Bernard-Henri Lévy aka @BHL https://t.co/uKLciHFMbd
11.35pm GMT
23:35
Wembley Stadium’s arch has been lit up in the colours of the Belgian flag as England’s Football Association paid its respects to the victims of the Brussels bombings.
The 315-metre long arch, which can be seen for miles across London, was lit in red, yellow and black from 6pm on Wednesday.
The statement of solidarity brought back memories of November’s terrorist attacks in Paris when Wembley was one of several London buildings to be decorated with the French tricolore.
11.29pm GMT
23:29
A man who sparked an outcry on Twitter after tweeting about confronting a Muslim woman on a street in south London and challenging her to “explain Brussels” has been arrested by police.
London’s Metropolitan police confirmed that a 46-year-old man had been arrested on Wednesday evening in Croydon on suspicion of inciting racial hatred via social media.
He is understood to be Matthew Doyle, a partner at a south London-based talent & PR agency, who tweeted earlier in the day: “I confronted a Muslim women [sic] yesterday in croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said “Nothing to do with me” a mealy mouthed reply.”
The comments, which followed Tuesday’s bomb attacks at Brussels airport and on the city’s metro system, were later deleted but sparked a furious response from other users of Twitter.
I confronted Croydon and asked it to explain @MatthewDoyle31. Nobody had heard of him ever. A mealy mouthed reply. pic.twitter.com/wAJDWH7zv3
Following criticism by other users of Twitter, Doyle tweeted: “Who cares if I insulted some towelhead?”
Officers for the Metropolitan police in Croydon tweeted on Wednesday that a suspect had been arrested for inciting racial hatred.
Suspect arrested for inciting racial hatred on twitter #ZDERTD #WeStandTogether #Croydon #Community @CroydonAd pic.twitter.com/BcjcKAPrFl
Updated
at 11.30pm GMT
11.20pm GMT11.20pm GMT
23:2023:20
A picture which is said to show a page from the passport of Ibrahim el-Bakraoui when he was arrested in Turkey has been published by the Daily Sabah, an English language newspaper in Turkey.A picture which is said to show a page from the passport of Ibrahim el-Bakraoui when he was arrested in Turkey has been published by the Daily Sabah, an English language newspaper in Turkey.
As reported earlier, the Belgian federal prosecutor, Frédéric van Leeuw, confirmed media reports that Bakraoui detonated one of two devices that exploded at Zaventem airport, killing himself and 11 others and injuring more than 90.As reported earlier, the Belgian federal prosecutor, Frédéric van Leeuw, confirmed media reports that Bakraoui detonated one of two devices that exploded at Zaventem airport, killing himself and 11 others and injuring more than 90.
The Guardian’s Kareem Shaheen reported earlier on emerging details in relation to Bakraoui’s detention and deportation from Turkey.The Guardian’s Kareem Shaheen reported earlier on emerging details in relation to Bakraoui’s detention and deportation from Turkey.
The Daily Sabah says reports that the 29-year-old entered Turkey on June 11 last year and was detained by Turkish authorities three days later.The Daily Sabah says reports that the 29-year-old entered Turkey on June 11 last year and was detained by Turkish authorities three days later.
Turkish police apprehended El Bakraoui during a routine police check to catch possible terror suspects in Turkey’s Gaziantep province and deported him from Istanbul Atatürk Airport.Turkish police apprehended El Bakraoui during a routine police check to catch possible terror suspects in Turkey’s Gaziantep province and deported him from Istanbul Atatürk Airport.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.21pm GMTat 11.21pm GMT
10.24pm GMT10.24pm GMT
22:2422:24
Belgians, and others, are continuing to remember the dead and show solidarity with those hurt in the attacks. Here’s the scene in the Place de la Bourse, Brussels, via the BBC’s Anna Holligan:Belgians, and others, are continuing to remember the dead and show solidarity with those hurt in the attacks. Here’s the scene in the Place de la Bourse, Brussels, via the BBC’s Anna Holligan:
Tonight in heart of the city #Brussels @BBCRadio4 #BrusselsAttacks pic.twitter.com/uGLgTs94hyTonight in heart of the city #Brussels @BBCRadio4 #BrusselsAttacks pic.twitter.com/uGLgTs94hy
.. the black, yellow and red of Belgium’s flag is meanwhile being projected on landmarks around the world. Here’s the London Eye:.. the black, yellow and red of Belgium’s flag is meanwhile being projected on landmarks around the world. Here’s the London Eye:
#London pays tribute #belgium #brussels #trafalgarsquare #londoneye #southbank #flag #solidarity pic.twitter.com/KujL3rz798#London pays tribute #belgium #brussels #trafalgarsquare #londoneye #southbank #flag #solidarity pic.twitter.com/KujL3rz798
10.10pm GMT10.10pm GMT
22:1022:10
Angelique ChrisafisAngelique Chrisafis
Angelique Chrisafis, the Guardian’s Paris correspondent, has been in Schaerbeek, the area of north-east Brussels from where the three men involved in the attack on Brussels airport departed on Tuesday.Angelique Chrisafis, the Guardian’s Paris correspondent, has been in Schaerbeek, the area of north-east Brussels from where the three men involved in the attack on Brussels airport departed on Tuesday.
She describes the top-floor fat where they had been staying:She describes the top-floor fat where they had been staying:
The letterboxes were all stuffed to overflowing with junk mail and supermarket coupon catalogues. In the small entrance hallway, a bare bulb poked from a broken light, there was paint dotted across the old mosaic-tiled floor and signs of decorating work going on the first floor.The letterboxes were all stuffed to overflowing with junk mail and supermarket coupon catalogues. In the small entrance hallway, a bare bulb poked from a broken light, there was paint dotted across the old mosaic-tiled floor and signs of decorating work going on the first floor.
“I spoke to them once, there were two brothers,” said a local painter and decorator of the mysterious group of men who had spent time on the fifth floor. “I saw one of them in the lift only once – he had a beard – but he never spoke, and the others I never saw at all,” said Jairo Valderana, a Colombian who lived next door to them on the fifth floor, his front-door metres away from the men’s hideout.“I spoke to them once, there were two brothers,” said a local painter and decorator of the mysterious group of men who had spent time on the fifth floor. “I saw one of them in the lift only once – he had a beard – but he never spoke, and the others I never saw at all,” said Jairo Valderana, a Colombian who lived next door to them on the fifth floor, his front-door metres away from the men’s hideout.
Valderana, who arrived in Brussels with his wife and daughters, aged 14 and 18, a month ago said he had never heard anything strange from the flat until police arrived on Tuesday night shouting at all the neighbours to put their hands up.Valderana, who arrived in Brussels with his wife and daughters, aged 14 and 18, a month ago said he had never heard anything strange from the flat until police arrived on Tuesday night shouting at all the neighbours to put their hands up.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.35pm GMTat 10.35pm GMT
9.42pm GMT9.42pm GMT
21:4221:42
David Cameron has suggested Christian leaders should help their “brothers and sisters who are Muslim” fight against extremism in the wake of the Brussels terror attack.David Cameron has suggested Christian leaders should help their “brothers and sisters who are Muslim” fight against extremism in the wake of the Brussels terror attack.
Speaking at an Easter reception at 10 Downing Street, his official residence, Cameron referred to the “dark and difficult world we’re currently living in” and said he wanted to “fortify” people to defeat extremism.Speaking at an Easter reception at 10 Downing Street, his official residence, Cameron referred to the “dark and difficult world we’re currently living in” and said he wanted to “fortify” people to defeat extremism.
“This is the great fight that we have to join,” Cameron said in the comments first reported by Bloomberg.“This is the great fight that we have to join,” Cameron said in the comments first reported by Bloomberg.
Our brothers and sisters who are Muslims, they want our assistance. We should be reaching out and wanting to help them battle against extremism.Our brothers and sisters who are Muslims, they want our assistance. We should be reaching out and wanting to help them battle against extremism.
We have to build stronger and more resilient communities. We have to make sure that people who are drifting into an extremist mindset are yanked back.We have to build stronger and more resilient communities. We have to make sure that people who are drifting into an extremist mindset are yanked back.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.07pm GMTat 10.07pm GMT
9.18pm GMT9.18pm GMT
21:1821:18
Nicolas Hénin, the French journalist who was kept as hostage by Isis for 10 months, writes in a just-published piece for the Guardian that those who held him will draw as much satisfaction from the “banal images” of the three airport attackers as other images associated with the group, such as the black flags and orange suits prisoners are made to wear.Nicolas Hénin, the French journalist who was kept as hostage by Isis for 10 months, writes in a just-published piece for the Guardian that those who held him will draw as much satisfaction from the “banal images” of the three airport attackers as other images associated with the group, such as the black flags and orange suits prisoners are made to wear.
He writes that the picture sends a message:He writes that the picture sends a message:
…. that the enemy looks ordinary and walks among you. It is one of the goals of Isis to sow division and make us afraid of one another. That was one of the things I learned during my captivity.…. that the enemy looks ordinary and walks among you. It is one of the goals of Isis to sow division and make us afraid of one another. That was one of the things I learned during my captivity.
He adds that how Europe reacts is now absolutely crucial, “but the omens are not good”:He adds that how Europe reacts is now absolutely crucial, “but the omens are not good”:
Already Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, and François Hollande, the president, have fallen into the trap of referring to this challenge as a “war”. That is the last thing they should be saying. I can tell them from my experience that this is the sort of approach Isis wants.Already Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, and François Hollande, the president, have fallen into the trap of referring to this challenge as a “war”. That is the last thing they should be saying. I can tell them from my experience that this is the sort of approach Isis wants.
The terrorists don’t just want to talk about a war, they hope to provoke, within Europe itself, a civil war. But this is not a war, and we must not see it as such.The terrorists don’t just want to talk about a war, they hope to provoke, within Europe itself, a civil war. But this is not a war, and we must not see it as such.
I prefer to call it large-scale political violence. And the important thing about that approach is that we have seen large-scale political violence before in our history. If we adopt a militaristic, warlike vocabulary, there will be no way back from that. We will only strengthen our enemies.I prefer to call it large-scale political violence. And the important thing about that approach is that we have seen large-scale political violence before in our history. If we adopt a militaristic, warlike vocabulary, there will be no way back from that. We will only strengthen our enemies.
You can read the pieces in full here:You can read the pieces in full here:
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.11pm GMTat 10.11pm GMT
9.05pm GMT9.05pm GMT
21:0521:05
An American couple who were feared to have been among those caught up in the blasts in Brussels are alive, according to Janet Shamlian of NBC News.An American couple who were feared to have been among those caught up in the blasts in Brussels are alive, according to Janet Shamlian of NBC News.
BREAKING: Tennessee couple missing in Brussels terror attack found alive! Injuries unknown pic.twitter.com/v6XDTfhC7mBREAKING: Tennessee couple missing in Brussels terror attack found alive! Injuries unknown pic.twitter.com/v6XDTfhC7m
9.00pm GMT9.00pm GMT
21:0021:00
Calls are mounting to urgently redress a “security deficit” at the heart of the European Union by crafting more of a collective response to terror attacks, according to the Financial Times.Calls are mounting to urgently redress a “security deficit” at the heart of the European Union by crafting more of a collective response to terror attacks, according to the Financial Times.
It quotes Antonio Tajani, an Italian centre-right MEP who is responsible for internal security at the European Parliament, as saying:It quotes Antonio Tajani, an Italian centre-right MEP who is responsible for internal security at the European Parliament, as saying:
We need to create a sort of Europol for intelligence or we risk being hit again. It’s not enough to say that we are against terrorism if the Italians and the Germans don’t talk to each other, if the French and Belgians don’t talk to each otherWe need to create a sort of Europol for intelligence or we risk being hit again. It’s not enough to say that we are against terrorism if the Italians and the Germans don’t talk to each other, if the French and Belgians don’t talk to each other
Aside from intelligence sharing, some in Europe’s security apparatus are said to believe that the real issue is a patchiness when it comes to security capabilities.Aside from intelligence sharing, some in Europe’s security apparatus are said to believe that the real issue is a patchiness when it comes to security capabilities.
While Britain and France have significant resources, followed perhaps by Germany, Belgium’s own state security service is said to be severely stretched.While Britain and France have significant resources, followed perhaps by Germany, Belgium’s own state security service is said to be severely stretched.
This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now from Raya Jalabi.This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now from Raya Jalabi.
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.12pm GMTat 10.12pm GMT
8.41pm GMT8.41pm GMT
20:4120:41
Latest summaryLatest summary
Raya JalabiRaya Jalabi
Here’s what we know so far:Here’s what we know so far:
The attackersThe attackers
Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis spoke to neighbors in Schaerbeek, for more on the four Brussels attackers. Read the full report here.Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis spoke to neighbors in Schaerbeek, for more on the four Brussels attackers. Read the full report here.
The victimsThe victims
Read the full report on victims here.Read the full report on victims here.
The investigationThe investigation
Belgium is now facing awkward questions over the bombers’ links to Paris terror cell, writes Jon Henley. (Read the full report here).Belgium is now facing awkward questions over the bombers’ links to Paris terror cell, writes Jon Henley. (Read the full report here).
The Global ResponseThe Global Response
The practicalitiesThe practicalities
That’s it from New York, handing over the blog to Ben Quinn in London.That’s it from New York, handing over the blog to Ben Quinn in London.
UpdatedUpdated
at 9.10pm GMTat 9.10pm GMT
8.25pm GMT8.25pm GMT
20:2520:25
Ben QuinnBen Quinn
The fallout from the attacks on Brussels is continuing to have an impact on the UK’s debate ahead of the referendum on membership of the European Union.The fallout from the attacks on Brussels is continuing to have an impact on the UK’s debate ahead of the referendum on membership of the European Union.
The UK’s defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has said in the last hour that he rejects the argument from a former head of MI6 from 1999 to 2004, Sir Richard Dearlove, who claimed that said “the cost to Britain would be low”, from a security perspective, if it were to leave the EU.The UK’s defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has said in the last hour that he rejects the argument from a former head of MI6 from 1999 to 2004, Sir Richard Dearlove, who claimed that said “the cost to Britain would be low”, from a security perspective, if it were to leave the EU.
“What is very clear to me is that we should not be leaving intelligence sharing partnerships,” Fallon said in an interview with Channel 4 News.“What is very clear to me is that we should not be leaving intelligence sharing partnerships,” Fallon said in an interview with Channel 4 News.
“That is exactly not the thing to do. We should be coming to the aid of our allies and friends rather than walking out on them.”“That is exactly not the thing to do. We should be coming to the aid of our allies and friends rather than walking out on them.”
“This is a European problem and what we certainly can’t do, long beore the referendum is to leave an arrangement which allows is to pool intelligence and information with allies that are just 20 miles away across the channel.”“This is a European problem and what we certainly can’t do, long beore the referendum is to leave an arrangement which allows is to pool intelligence and information with allies that are just 20 miles away across the channel.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.27pm GMTat 8.27pm GMT
8.18pm GMT
20:18
Arthur Neslen
Arthur Neslen has been speaking to survivors of the twin attacks in Brussels. Here’s an interview with Joe Hennon, who was on the train behind the one that exploded in Maelbeek:
Hennon, an Irish commission official was on the train behind the one that exploded in Maelbeek. The first he knew of the tragedy was when “the lights went off and then the engine went off,” he said. “I immediately thought something was up so I got off. A lot of people were standing around looking towards Maelbeek but it was hard to see what was going on. A few people started running up the ‘down’ escalator but most just went up the normal way.”
Outside, police were descending on Maelbeek from all sides with sirens blaring. Smoke was fuming from the station. Hennon said: “It looked like there were hundreds of people coming out of every building onto the street. At one point they all began running up the street from Maelbeek in every directions, provoking a stampede. It was hard to work out what was going on.”
“Police were trying to get through the traffic, telling people to get up on the sidewalk and make way for them. I was torn between seeing what was going on and trying to help, but you don’t really know, there could be someone down there with a Kalashnikov running amok, so I just walked to the nearest park.”
7.47pm GMT
19:47
Arthur Neslen
Arthur Neslen has been speaking to survivors of the twin attacks in Brussels. Here’s an interview with David Crunelle, an art director who was at Zaventem airport when the bombs went off:
Four minutes before Tuesday morning’s explosion at the Zaventem airport, David Crunelle, a 36-year-old art director, arrived at the main hall to drop off his luggage for a flight to Japan. The counter was opposite the check-in booths run by Delta and American Airlines.
“Suddenly, there was a huge blast and dust crashed down from the ceiling,” he said. “We heard people screaming, shouting and panicking. Then there was another blast a few seconds later. I was 20 metres from the first explosion so my right eardrum was slightly damaged by the noise.”
In an instant, the hall was transformed into a theatre of glass, dust and bomb casualties strewn across the floor and shrouded in smoke, he said.
“A lot of people had their skin cut off or damaged by small pieces of glass that had exploded from the ceiling, windows and walls,” Crunelle said. “Injured people were walking out dizzy and in complete shock. In the center of this hall, close to the second explosion, I saw between five and seven bodies on the ground.”
The airport’s artificial ceiling was collapsing, which made it hard to see. “We saw a few corpses – I don’t want to say corpses but people who weren’t able to walk or stand up – right at the end of the terminal.”
“I didn’t notice the two people but I’m sure we arrived at around the same time and our paths crossed,” Crunelle said. “I feel very, very lucky to be alive”.
Updated
at 8.18pm GMT
7.33pm GMT
19:33
Kareem Shaheen
Turkish officials have provided more detail of Ibrahim Bakraoui’s detention and deportation from Turkey in the summer of 2015, including on their warnings to Belgium that he was a suspected foreign fighter, writes the Guardian’s Middle East reporter Kareem Shaheen.
Bakraoui arrived in Antalya, a popular tourist destination, in June 2015. He was detained a week later in Gaziantep by Turkish security forces, who flagged him after he had entered the country as a potential foreign fighter that Turkey believed intended to travel to Syria.
Belgium was informed of his arrest by Turkey on the 14th of July, and the Belgian authorities replied on the 20th of July, saying they had detained Bakraoui before but had released him because they were unable to find any terror links. Turkey wrote back to Belgium warning them that he was considered a foreign fighter with links to Syria.
Bakraoui was deported to the Netherlands upon his request. Since Belgium did not request an extradition, he was free to travel anywhere in the EU zone. In such a situation, the Turkish government informs the country of nationality (Belgium) and the destination country (the Netherlands) of his status.
Turkey currently has over 38,000 individuals from 128 countries who are banned from entering Turkey, and have deported over 3,200 individuals.
Updated
at 8.18pm GMT
7.28pm GMT
19:28
According to several French and Belgian media reports, the second Zaventem airport suicide bomber has been identified by Belgian authorities as Najim Laachraoui.
Le Monde is reporting that Laachraoui was identified by his DNA, which Agence France-Presse is eporting was found at several hide-outs used by the November Paris attackers, as well as on explosive material used during the November attacks on Paris and Saint-Denis.
The Guardian has not yet independently verified these reports.
7.07pm GMT
19:07
Update: 300 wounded, 61 remain in intensive care, 40 nationalities
Here’s an update on the conditions of the wounded, from the office of Belgian health minister Maggie de Block. Here are the main updates:
(read the announcement in French)
More on the hospitals treating the wounded here:
Related: 'These are war wounds': Brussels hospitals treat terror attack victims
Updated
at 8.18pm GMT
6.46pm GMT
18:46
Kareem Shaheen
More on the 2015 deportation from Turkey of Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, one of the two suspected Zaventem airport bombers, from Middle East reporter Kareem Shaheen who spoke with a Turkish counter-terrorism official:
• This post was updated on Wednesday 23 March to correctly reflect that el-Bakraoui was in fact known to Belgian authorities.
Updated
at 7.56pm GMT
6.24pm GMT
18:24
Earlier today, Belgian police raided a house in the Brussels suburb of Anderlecht, and detained someone – mistakenly identified by early media reports as the fugitive suspect Najim Laachraoui. Paul Nolan visited Anderlecht following news of the raids:
Burly masked men from Belgian’s security forces huddled outside a residence in Anderlecht, the latest building that appears to have a connection to terrorism.
Locals looked on incredulously as the masked men exited with boxes filled with files before speeding away in dark cars.
Michelle, 43, who lives two blocks away, said she was worried but not surprised by the raid. A cafeteria worker at a local school, she said that teachers were generally unable to control the students at the school, and she linked the terror attacks to the violence she sees in the playground. She said she would move far away if she could afford it.
A grim industrial-looking canal runs through the neighborhood alongside car spare parts businesses. Tourists are drawn to the Erasmus Museum and Jean-Claude Van Damme has his very own statue here.
Vincent, 53, has been living here for the past 16 years. He is part of the Flemish-speaking minority in Brussels though speaks fluent French. Sipping a beer outside Chez Marie on Place de la Vaillance, he said traditional Belgian brasseries like this one are a dying breed. Moroccans, he said, have become the majority and changed the face of Anderlecht. Although he accepts the change, he said he is nostalgic for the past.
But two locals, Janaid, 19, and Anass, 21, have a more optimistic view of the area having grown up here. On the way to play basketball with friends, they said Anderlecht has a lot to offer. They never feel bored or threatened. When asked if they were shocked that Anderlecht could be connected to the terror attack they said they had heard the news on the radio and found it hard to believe.
Further up the road, military personnel and armored vehicles guarded the entrance to metro Saint Guidon. A local Stib transport official said people have been steering clear of public transport despite only 10 stations being closed. Shopkeepers and businesses were for the most part operational, even if under a latent threat of impending terror. The question that remains is whether this is the new normal.
Updated
at 6.54pm GMT
6.07pm GMT
18:07
Brussels airport has announced a suspension of all passenger flights until Saturday 26 March.
There will be no passenger flights into and out of #brusselsairport till Friday 25 March included. Contact your airline for flight info.
Updated
at 6.14pm GMT
5.43pm GMT
17:43
Turkey: Ibrahim el-Bakraoui was attacker detained and deported
A Turkish government official has confirmed to the Guardian that the bomber referred to in Erdogan’s earlier statement is Ibrahim el-Bakraoui.
Updated
at 6.03pm GMT
5.15pm GMT
17:15
Meanwhile, there are long queues to get through security checks at Brussels’ central train station.
That's veeeery long queue to be security-checked into #Brussels Gare Central. Metro replacement buses working well pic.twitter.com/nRiIKA13sK
Gare centrale très difficile d'accès #bruxelles pic.twitter.com/oESQMieXbn