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Briton David Dixon confirmed killed in Brussels terror attack | Briton David Dixon confirmed killed in Brussels terror attack |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A British man missing in Brussels since suicide bomb blasts rocked the city’s airport and metro system has been confirmed dead. | |
The family of David Dixon, 53, a freelance computer programmer who lived in the Belgian capital, said they had been told of his death on Friday morning. | |
Dixon had been in touch with an aunt in the aftermath of the initial blasts at Zaventem airport on Tuesday and told her he was safe. But it is thought that he then boarded the train on which a bomb detonated as it passed through Maelbeek station. | |
In a statement released through the Foreign Office on Friday, Dixon’s family said they had that morning received the “terrible and devastating news” that he had been identified as among the dead in the terror attacks, which took 32 lives and injured about 270. | |
“At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private,” the statement added. | “At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private,” the statement added. |
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We can confirm David Dixon lost his life in the attacks which took place in Brussels on Tuesday 22 March 2016. | |
“Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time and our embassy staff are continuing to support them.” | |
David Cameron tweeted: | |
PM: I am deeply saddened to hear David Dixon was killed in the Brussels attacks. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. | PM: I am deeply saddened to hear David Dixon was killed in the Brussels attacks. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. |
Dixon, who was originally from Hartlepool, Co Durham, lived in an apartment in a southern suburb of Brussels with his partner, Charlotte Sutcliffe, and their seven-year-old son, Henry. | |
He was working as an IT contractor for Euroclear, a Belgian financial services company, which has its headquarters just a few stops away from Maelbeek metro station. He did not arrive at the office. | |
According to reports, he had not realised that the city was under attack until he was sent a text message from his aunt, Ann Dixon, who lives in Hartlepool. He replied saying he was fine and then reportedly also texted Sutcliffe to tell her the trains were still running. | |
As searches for Dixon continued on Wednesday, Ann Dixon told the Telegraph: “He told me I was the first person who had let him know. He travelled into Brussels on the Metro every day and after we’d texted he must have gone straight out and got on the Metro that was attacked. It was only an hour later when that bomb went off.” | |
Sutcliffe reportedly searched the Belgian capital’s hospitals in the aftermath of the attack. Dixon’s brother, Michael, a solicitor in Hartlepool, obtained his dental records, which were subsequently passed to Belgian police trying to identify the remains of victims of the Maelbeek blast. | |
Downing Street said on Thursday that a British police expert in victim identification was being sent to Belgium as part of support provided by the UK. | Downing Street said on Thursday that a British police expert in victim identification was being sent to Belgium as part of support provided by the UK. |
According to a Downing Street spokeswoman, seven other UK citizens were known to have been injured in the attack. Four of them have since been discharged from hospital and the other three were still receiving treatment. | |