- Turkish president reveals Ibrahim El Bakraoui was detained in Gaziantep in southern Turkey near the Syrian border
- Belgian brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui named as suicide bombers who struck in airport and Metro train
- Najim Laachraoui originally thought to be 'Man in White' but tonight dramatically revealed as other airport bomber
- It means the 'Man in White' - now Europe's most wanted man - remains a mystery and he is still thought to be on run
- Brussels airport bomber Laachraoui was explosives expert who also made suicide vests for the Paris massacres
- Twin ISIS attacks killed 34 people - 14 at Brussels airport at 8am and 20 more at Maelbeek station 79 minutes later
- Driver who took terrorists to airport reveals that fourth suitcase bomb was left behind because it wouldn't fit in taxi
- Cabbie was suspicious after attacks and led police to safehouse containing fourth bomb, ISIS flag and suicide note
One
of the Brussels bombers was arrested in Turkey and deported back to
Belgium in June with a warning that he was a militant, it has
sensationally been revealed.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ibrahim El Bakraoui, who blew
himself up at Brussels Airport on Tuesday, was arrested in Gaziantep in
southern Turkey close to the Syrian border last summer. Officials said
he was deported to Holland before being passed back over to Belgium.
The
president said Belgian authorities had failed to confirm the suspect's
links to terrorism 'despite our warnings that he was a foreign fighter'.
The
revelation came as it was dramatically revealed last night that the
identity of the 'Man in White', who was previously thought to be
explosives expert Najim Laachraoui, remains a mystery. He is now
Europe's most wanted man and a major international manhunt to find him
remains ongoing.
It
emerged as it was revealed that Laachraoui was actually the other
airport suicide bomber, who was pictured on the left-hand side on CCTV
footage showing the three ISIS suspects wheeling their suitcases into
the terminal prior to the deadly bombing which occurred at 8am local
time on Tuesday.
Ibrahim
and Laachraoui killed 14 people and injured dozens of others when they
set off suicide vests and explosives-packed suitcases at the airport.
They were accompanied by the 'Man in White' who abandoned his suicide
mission and fled the terminal when his nail-shrouded bomb failed to
explode.
Just
79 minutes later, Ibrahim's brother - Khalid El Bakraoui - detonated
his suicide vest on a Brussels Metro train at Maelbeek station killing
20 people.
Earlier
yesterday, it emerged that Ibrahim left a suicide note telling how he
was desperate to blow himself up because he did not want to go to prison
like his friend, the Paris logistics chief Salah Abdeslam.
The
typed note, found next to 15kg of homemade explosives, an AK-47 and an
ISIS flag during a raid at a property in the Schaerbeek area of the
city, said: 'I don't know what to do. I'm in a hurry. I'm on the run.
People are looking for me everywhere. And if I give myself up then I'll
end up in a cell.'
The
latest twist came after it was revealed the Belgian El Bakraoui
brothers escaped police in a gunfight during an anti-terror raid just
eight days ago.
Carnage: There were scenes of
devastation at the main terminal at Brussels national airport yesterday
as rescue workers and officials continued to pick through the rubble
following the two bomb blasts on Tuesday morning which killed 14 people
and injured scores more
Devastating: Workers continued to pick
through the debris at Brussels airport yesterday as the windows of the
terminal remained heavily shattered from the twin attacks on the Belgian
capital which has rocked Europe. ISIS has claimed responsibility for
the horrific bombings
Brussels bombers: Khalid El Bakraoui
(left) detonated his suicide vest on a Brussels Metro train at Maelbeek
station just 79 minutes after his brother Ibrahim El Bakraoui (centre)
blew himself up with an explosives-packed suitcase at Brussels airport.
Ibrahim was accompanied by another suicide bomber, who was dramatically
identified last night as explosives expert and bombmaker Najim Laachraou
(right)
First picture:
Belgian bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui (centre) and explosives expert Najim
Laachraou (left), both wearing black gloves to hide their suicide bomb
triggers, killed 14 at Brussels airport. Their accomplice - the 'Man in
White' (right) fled the airport and remains on the run
Web of terror:
MailOnline can reveal how an ISIS terror network from across Brussels
first took murder to the streets of Paris killing 130 before members of
the cell who survived returned to the Belgian capital. In the past week,
as police closed in, some members including Salah Abdeslam were either
arrested or killed before the team of four bombers launched twin
attacks, killing 34
Laachraoui
- now revealed as the second airport suicide bomber - was already one
of the world's most wanted men, having built the suicide vests used in
the Paris attacks and went on the run with Salah Abdeslam, one of the
other Paris massacre masterminds, before hiding in Brussels for four
months.
He
is suspected of rigging up the suicide vests that helped kill 34 in
twin attacks on Tuesday and is believed to have done the same for the
Paris attacks.
Yesterday
it emerged there could have been another suitcase bomb set off in the
airport but the ISIS fanatics couldn't fit all their explosive-packed
bags into a taxi outside their safehouse. They refused to let the driver
touch the bags - prompting him to later contact the police about their
suspicious behaviour.
Investigators
are now desperate to track down the 'Man in White' - the third ISIS
suspect pictured at the airport - as well as Mohamed Abrini, who was
thought to be a close friend of the 'Man in White' and Abdeslam, for his
possible involvement in the mass slaughter in the Belgium capital on
Tuesday.
The
British Defence Secretary said last night that it is’ ‘far too early’
to criticise the Belgian intelligence agencies over alleged failings in
the run-up to the Brussels attacks, as he warned ISIS extremists wanted
to ‘create mayhem’ in European cities including London.
Michael
Fallon said ISIS's ‘external attack-planning operation’ was one of the
reasons why it was important to strike at the militant group in Iraq and
Syria. He insisted that the UK was prepared for a terror attack, with
thousands of troops on stand-by to assist the police in the event of an
assault.
And
he told BBC2's Newsnight: ‘I honestly think it is far too early to
start criticising the Belgian authorities until the investigation is
complete, until we know exactly the movements of these particular
people.'
Tuesday's
twin terror attacks on the Belgian capital left at least 34 people dead
and are believed to have been revenge for Saleh Abdeslam's capture.
Experts believe the jihadists launched the Brussels attacks because the
net was closing in on their terror cell.
Belgium's
prosecutor said this afternoon that Ibrahim El Bakraoui's suicide note,
found in a bin, said he was 'on the run' and did not 'know what to do' -
but added he was 'in a hurry' and 'didn't want to end up in a cell like
him' - a reference to his friend Abdeslam.
All
of the men named as bombers yesterday were 'well known' to detectives
because of their links to ISIS and all had significant criminal records.
The El Bakraoui brothers had been in jail recently for gun smuggling,
burglary and car crime.
Most
recently they had been on the run since March 15 following a shoot-out
in a terrorist hideout in the Belgian capital's Forest suburb. They
opened fire on police and fled.
The
raid carried out last Tuesday on a flat in the suburb of Forest saw a
sniper kill terror suspect Mohamed Belkaid while the El Bakraoui
brothers managed to escape police.
There
was initial speculation that the raid had aimed to capture
Paris-terrorist Abdeslam, but he escaped through a loft window, but
this was later denied by a police spokesman.
New raid: Special forces stormed a
pizzeria in Anderlecht at just after dawn yesterday - with some Belgian
media wrongly claiming Najim Laachraoui was inside. Forensics officers
took away evidence in brown bags after a man and two women were taken
into custody
Collecting evidence: Forensic police
leave a house in the district of Anderlecht-Brussels, while others
carry evidence found during a raid
Anti-terror raid: Police stormed a
property in the district of Anderlecht-Brussels and were seen collecting
bags of possible evidence
Aftermath:
Emergency service workers were continuing their efforts at Brussels
airport yesterday as the city entered three days of mourning
In memory: King Philippe of Belgium
(centre) lays a wreath as he visits the damaged departure hall at
Brussels Airport in Zaventem
Gathering evidence and clues: Forensic
researchers pictured at work outside Brussels Airport as efforts
continue to solve the terror effort
Rubble and debris: Security officials,
engineers and emergency service workers were all hard at work at
Brussels airport this afternoon
Shattered to a million pieces: The terminal windows at Brussels airport were all blown out yesterday following the terror attack
Officers
had been acting on a tip-off in connection to the Paris terror
attacks, and carried out the raid in Forest, which is close to
Molenbeek, where several jihadis behind the Paris attacks lived and is
known as the cradle of terrorism in Europe.
Yet
the group still managed to find another address to stay, where they
stored the explosives and guns used in Tuesday's attacks.
Police
also confirmed yesterday that those who carried it out have were part
of a larger cell who carried out the Paris attacks four months ago.
Khalid
El Bakraoui also rented the apartment where Paris terror attacker Salah
Abdeslam was captured by anti-terror police last Friday, according to
respected Belgium news organisation RTL.
Belgium
started three days of mourning yesterday after the bombings claimed the
lives of 34 and left more than 250 injured in 79 minutes of rush hour
carnage. The dead and injured have 40 different nationalities, including
two Britons.
Despite
a Government warning to stay at home thousands have gathered in the
centre of the city to light candles, leave flowers and write messages of
hope on the ground in defiance of the terrorists who carried out the
the worst terror attacks in Belgium's history.
Hundreds
also gathered outside Brussels airport yesterday evening for a
candlelit vigil, with airport workers leading the tributes to those who
were killed.
Terminal
staff were joined by relatives as they lit candles, laid flowers and
notes and embraced one another outside the city's Zaventem airport.
In mourning: Airport workers and their
relatives lit candles outside Brussels main airport yesterday in honour
of those who were killed
Seeking comfort in one another: Two
women embraced outside Brussels airport as they attended a vigil in
mourning of those who died
Tears and sorrow: Mourners gathered outside Brussels airport where 14 people were killed when two suicide bombers acted
Candles for the victims: A group of
airport workers pay tribute to the victims of the Brussels terror
attacks during a vigil held yesterday
Grieving: Mourners blew kisses to
those who died in the terror attacks as they attended a vigil yesterday
outside the country's airport
United in mourning: Grief-stricken
airport staff, relatives of the victims and members of the public gather
outside the airport to pay tribute
Light up: Dozens of candles were lit
outside Brussels main airport tonight as the country began three days of
mourning for the victims
London: The Belgian flag was projected
on two sides of the National Portrait Gallery and the fountain in
Trafalgar Square glowed red
Manchester: The Town Hall was also lit up tonight, 24 hours after landmarks around the world were covered in the flag's colours
Belfast: The imposing City Hall was
illuminated in the black, yellow and red of the Belgian flag in memory
of the victims of the attacks
Liverpool: St George's Hall was also
involved in the commemorations. Questions were raised after few UK
landmarks were lit up on Tuesday
The pillars of Tower Bridge in London
were lit up in a sequence of red, yellow (pictured) and black in a mark
of respect to the victims
Respect: The arches of Wembley Stadium in London were also illuminated in the red, yellow and black of the Belgian flag tonght
Mother-of-two Adelma
Tapia Ruiz, 36, was the first named victim of the Brussels terror
attacks so far. The Peruvian national had lived in Belgium for nine
years, was on her the way to visit relatives in New York with her twin
daughters when she died in the double suicide bombing at the airport.
Ms
Tapia's three-year-old twins Maureen and Alondra, and her Belgian
husband Christopher Delcambe, survived the explosion on Tuesday
morning.
Brussels-born
law student Leopold Hecht, 20, was seriously wounded in the explosion
in at Maelbeek Metro Station, and later succumbed to his injuries.
The
third victim whose identity has been released was also killed in the
metro bomb. Olivier Delespesse was reportedly on his way to work at a
government organisation for Belgian French-speakers, when he died in the
second bombing.
The
girlfriend of a British father missing after the Brussels attacks is
among desperate relatives searching the city's hospitals in the hope of
finding their loved ones.
David
Dixon has not been in contact with his partner, Charlotte Sutcliffe,
since the bombs went off and may have been on the Brussels Metro at the
time of Tuesday's explosion at the Maalbeck underground station.
The
IT programmer, who lives in Brussels but is originally from Hartlepool,
County Durham, was travelling to work on Tuesday morning but did not
arrive at his office.
The 53-year-old would have travelled through Maelbeek station, where the attack happened.
Friends
have been appealing for information on his whereabouts on social media
and asking anyone with information to contact his Ms Sutcliffe.
United in grief: The people of
Brussels stand together during a minute of silence around a makeshift
memorial at Place de la Bourse
Gripped by grief: A heartbroken mother
is comforted by her two children as she pays her respects to the 34
terror attack victims in Brussels this afternoon
Sombre: A woman weeps after people
observed a one minute silence at the Place De La Bourse in honour of the
victims of Tuesday's terror attacks
Anger: An overwhelmed mourner yells to
the skies in Place De La Bourse as he and thousands of other met to
show their defiance to the ISIS bombers who brought terror to their city
Tragic: One of the 20 people killed in
the Maelbeek metro is taken from the station in a body bag yesterday as
Belgium started three days of mourning after the worst terror attacks
in its history
American
siblings Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski were at Brussels Airport at
the time of the two explosions inside a terminal and have not been seen
or heard from since the incidents.
According
to Dutch media reports, the pair were on the phone to their family when
the blasts took place and then the line went dead.
The
Pinczowskis, both from New York, were at Brussels Airport at the time
of the two explosions inside a terminal and have not been seen or heard
from since the incidents.
American Mormon missionary Mason Wells, 19, was injured in the horrifying Brussels airport terrorist attack after having previously survived the Boston bombing and the Paris attacks.
He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, injuries from shrapnel and
second- and third-degree burns on his face and hands after the bombing.
Chad
Wells, Mason's father, told ABC News: 'This is his third terrorist
attack' adding he and Mason were a block from the finish line of the
Boston Marathon, where the bombing took place in 2013. The teen was also
in Paris last year during the attacks.
A
haunting image of Nidhi Chaphekar, a married mother of two, went viral
on social media in the aftermath of the attack, with #PrayForNidhi
trending on social media. Covered in dust and blood, Nidhi is pictured
amid the chaos in the tattered remains of her yellow Jet Airways
jacket.
Victim: Adelma Tapia Ruiz, 36, died in
the terrorist attack in Brussels on Tuesday, while her three-year-old
twins Maureen and Alondra, and her Belgian husband Christopher Delcambe,
survived
Brussels-born
law student Leopold Hecht, 20, left, was seriously wounded in the
explosion in at Maelbeek Metro Station, and later succumbed to his
injuries. Belgian Olivier Delespesse, right, was reportedly on his way
to work at a government organisation for Belgian French-speakers, when
he died in the blast on the metro train
David Dixon, from Hartlepool, has not
been in contact with his partner Charlotte Louise Sutcliffe since
leaving for work on Tuesday
New York
siblings Sascha (pictured) and Alexander Pinczowski (right) were at
Brussels Airport at the time of the two explosions inside a terminal -
they haven't been seen since
Traumatic: Air hostess and mother of two Nidhi Chapekar (right) pictured covered in dust and with her yellow uniform in tatters
BROTHERS IN ARMS: GANGLAND EL BAKRAOUI SIBLINGS JAILED FOR WIELDING AK-47S... BUT STILL EVADED SPOOKS
Khalid El Bakraoui
Khalid, 27, (pictured, right) was well-known to police thanks to his long history of organised crime in the Belgian capital.
In early 2011, he was jailed for five years for possessing AK-47s and committing a series of car-jackings.
It is not clear when he was let out or, if believing he had nothing to lose, whether he fled to Syria to train with ISIS.
But
at some point he linked up with the terror cell behind the Paris terror
attacks and used a false name to rent a property in nearby Charleroi
which was used as a hideout.
In
the hours before the November massacre, logistics chief Salah Abdeslam
and his brother Brahim are believed to have stopped at the apartment to
pick up weapons.
Khalid
later rented out a flat under an alias in the Brussels suburb of Forest
which was stormed last week by police hunting Salah Abdeslam.
Khalid and his brother, Ibrahim, are believed to have escaped during a shoot-out with police.
Ibrahim El Bakraoui
Like his brother, Ibrahim (pictured right)had
a long list previous offences to his name, but apparently none that
aroused suspicion that he might be part of a terror cell.
That is despite him being sentenced to nine years in prison in 2010 for shooting at police with a Kalashnikov during a robbery.
Their
use of Kalashnikovs, a signature weapon for ISIS and other extremist
groups, will raise questions about why they were not monitored more
closely by security services.
It is also not known when the 30-year-old was released from prison or whether he went to fight in Syria.
But he is also believed to have linked up with the Paris terror squad in the run-up to November's massacre.
It
is not clear, however, when intelligence service made the link between
the brothers and those behind the attacks that killed 130 in France.
Security services will be under intense pressure to explain how they slipped through the net.
Belkaid,
an Algerian national who was illegally in Belgium, was found with an
ISIS flag, AK-47 assault rifle and a book of jihadist literature next to
his body.
At
the time police said: 'Two persons [the El Bakraoui brothers] who were
probably in the flat fled the scene and are being tracked down'.
Less
than one week later, Khalid and Brahim El Bakraoui carried out the
terrorist attack at Brussels airport and as passengers queued to check
in for flights at around 8am local time (7am GMT) the first blast rang
out.
People
fled towards the entrance of Brussels Zaventem Airport, a second much
bigger blast in front of them brought down much of the ceiling and sent
razor-sharp shrapnel, body parts and clouds of thick dust and smoke
billowing through the building.
According
to Belgian news website 7sur7, Ibrahim was sentenced to nine years in
prison in 2010 for firing at police with an AK-47 assault rifle during a
robbery.
Khalid
was also given a five-year jail term in early 2011 for possessing
AK-47s and committing a series of car-jackings, it was reported. It is
not clear when they were released from prison.
Their
use of Kalashnikovs, a signature weapon for ISIS and other extremist
groups, will raise questions about why they were not monitored more
closely by security services.
Belgian
terror expert Pieter Van Ostaeyen says French prosecutor indicating
that Abdeslam had started talking to police may have triggered the
attack.s
'The
three terrorists thought their network would be exposed and carried out
their terror plan before this happened as a pre-emptive move,' he told
Aftonbladet.
'It happened today [Tuesday], maybe weeks or months before the planned date.
'The
French prosecutor should not have talked so much. He sent out the wrong
signals to the ISIS network still intact in Europe, so it was high time
for them to act and that's exactly what happened.
'The Belgian police investigation was leaking, and that's why it happened now,' he adds.
Belgian
intelligence services are already under intense pressure to explain a
number of failures that have allowed members of the ISIS cell to operate
under their noses in the capital.
FUGITIVE PARIS 'BOMB MAKER' WAS BEHIND THE BRUSSELS BLASTS: TERROR EXPERT CLAIMS USE OF 'MULTIPLE EXPLOSIVE DEVICES' BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS OF THE ISIS CELL THAT TARGETED THE FRENCH CAPITAL
Cover: Belgian police were 'actively
searching for' Europe's most-wanted man, who had been wearing a white
coat, glasses and a hat
The
suspected bombmaker responsible for the Paris massacre was very likely
behind the Brussels blasts, a top terror expert has claimed.
Investigators are desperate to track
down Mohamed Abrini (pictured) for his possible involvement in the mass
slaughter in the Belgium capital on Tuesday
Rafaello
Pantucci, the Director of International Security Studies at the Royal
United Services Institute, said the use of 'multiple, viable explosive
devices' bore all the hallmarks of the co-ordinated bomb attacks that
killed 130 in the French capital.
It also indicated that possibly more than one experienced bombmaker was involved, he added.
Najim Laachraoui, who is believed to have gone on the run after Paris logistics chief Salah Abdeslam's capture.
Laachraoui
reportedly travelled to Syria in February 2013 and was stopped by
guards at the Austria-Hungary border on September 9 last year while
driving a rented Mercedes he shared with Salah Abdesalam, according to
the Belgian Federal Prosecutor.
The pair were also travelling with Mohamed Belkaid, 35, the man shot and killed during the raid to capture Abdelslam on Friday.
It
is thought Laachraoui was not stopped as he was using a drivers licence
under a different name and traveled to Budapest twice in September
2015.
On
this instance, the three men had posed as tourists heading to Vienna on
holiday and did not raise suspicions when they were stopped by police.
Laachraoui
was also captured on CCTV with Belkaid four days after the attacks
during a money transfer in a Western Union bank in the Brussels area.
'The
investigation showed that Soufiane Kayal can be identified as Najim
Laachraoui, born on May 18, 1991 and who travelled to Syria in February
2013,' prosecutors said in a statement in Brussels.
It
is also using this alias that authorities have said he was in contact
via phone with Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and gave him
guidance in the lead-up to the November attacks.
He
has been identified as using the alias Soufiane Kayal - the name he
used to rent the safe house used by the Paris bombers to plan the Paris
attack, where his DNA has also been found as well as in their hideout in
Schaerbeek.
At
the house on Rue Henri Berge, investigators found traces of TATP - a
signature explosive of ISIS in Europe, and was found in the suicide
vests used by the Paris attackers.
To
evade captue he also used documents under the name Soufiane Kayal,
left, to travel to Syria, across Europe with his terrorist friends and
also to rent safehouses ahead of the Brussels bombings
Mr
Pantucci said: 'We don't know much about him at this point. This
individual is being identified as a bomb maker but we have concerns
whether that is 100 per cent true or if he's one of a number of bomb
makers.
'This
terrorist group in Brussels had multiple, viable explosive devices. It
suggests they were dealing with someone with substantial experience.
'That
could be the same person responsible for the bomb devices in the Paris
attacks but it could be someone else, part of a larger cell.
'Given
the location and the nature and the use of explosives and guns the
thought process goes down the page of assuming it's linked to the
organised network around Abdeslam.
'We can't be sure but it would be surprising if it wasn't the same group.'
A
friend of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who masterminded the November 2015 Paris
attacks, told police that the jihadi claimed he was among 90 'kamikaze'
terrorists who smuggled themselves across the Mediterranean with
migrants and refugees.
Double
life: Najim Laachraoui, right, also used documents under the name
Soufiane Kayal, left, to travel to Syria, across Europe with his
terrorist friends and also to rent safehouses ahead of the Brussels
bombings. He has now been confirmed as the airport suicide bomber
Escape: The body of jihadi is removed
from the scene where shots were fired during a police anti-terror raid
in Brussels linked to the Paris massacre suspects - but the brothers who
blew up Brussels airport escaped
Battle:
Police officers take positions on a roof as they surrounded the building
- the El Bakraoui brothers are said to have opened fire and fled
Paris links: The
terror cell in Brussels that killed 34 appear to have helped in Paris
where 130 died - and Khalid El Bakraoui rented the apartment in white
where Paris terror attacker Salah Abdeslam was captured by anti-terror
police last Friday
The
taxi driver who drove the bombers to the airport led police to their
hideout after the men refused to let him touch their luggage. After the
explosions he contacted the authorities.
Armed
police in vans and helicopters then flooded in the district of
Shaerbeek, north-east Brussels and a nail bomb, chemicals and an ISIS
flag in a flat.
The
disturbing discoveries were made as officers searched properties in the
district of Shaerbeek, north-east Brussels, where two Paris suspects
are believed to have lived in the wake of the attacks.
Photographs
taken overnight show teams of armed officers preparing to enter a
building in the area as helicopters flew over the scene, providing light
and firearm cover for those on the ground.
Forensic teams later used laser lights to search for clues and left the heavily guarded premises with evidence bags.
Najim
Laachraoui, the airport bomber whose DNA was found on explosives used
in the Paris terror attacks, had rented a hideout in Schaarbeek.
And
Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam is believed to have been holed up
in an apartment in Schaerbeek for three weeks after the massacre in
France.
'The
searches that took place in the Schaerbeek (district) found an
explosive device containing among other things nails,' the federal
prosecutor said in a statement.
'Investigators also discovered chemicals and a flag of the Islamic State,' the statement added.
Incredibly,
Abdeslam - arrested on Friday, may have been hiding in nearby Molenbeek
for four months since the deadly Paris terror attacks.
And
there another suspect - named as Amine Choukri - was arrested by
Belgian anti-terror police when he was found living with Abdeslam having
entered Europe via Greece.
Najim
Laachraoui - the second airport suicide bomber who killed 14 alongside
Ibrahim El Bakraoui - is the younger brother Mourad Laachraoui, a
medal-winning athlete who represents Belgium in Taekwondo.
Mourad
has distanced himself from his terrorist younger brother Najim, and the
family, who are of Moroccan descent, are deeply ashamed of his
fanatical opinions and murderous activities.
Brothers: Airport suicide bomber Najim Laachraoui (left) is the brother of Mourad (right), who represents Belgium in Taekwondo
THIRD BRUSH WITH TERROR: AMERICAN MORMON, 19, LEFT WITH BURNS AND SHRAPNEL INJURIES IN BRUSSELS ATTACK ALSO SURVIVED THE BOSTON AND PARISH BOMBINGS
Miracle: Mormon missionary Mason
Wells, 19, pictured, was injured in Brussels airport and also survived
the Boston bombing and the Paris attacks
An
American Mormon missionary was injured in the horrifying Brussels
airport terrorist attack after having previously survived the Boston
bombing and the Paris attacks. Mormon missionary Mason Wells, 19, was
injured along with his two colleagues and suffered a ruptured Achilles
tendon, injuries from shrapnel and second- and third-degree burns on his
face and hands after the bombing.
'This is his third terrorist attack,' Chad Wells, Mason's father, told ABC News.
'This is the third time that sadly in our society that we have a connection to a bomb blast
'We live in a dangerous world and not everyone is kind and loving.'
Chad
said he and Mason were a block away from the finish line of the Boston
Marathon, where the bombing took place, waiting for Mason's mother,
Kymberly Wells, who was a runner.
'It had shaken their bodies and he had taken Mason to our hotel and said to stay there.
'Mason was very calm and composed,' Kymberly told ABC News.
Mason
is currently in a Belgian hospital and is expected to make a full
recovery, he told his parents. He was at 'ground zero' of the blast zone
when the bombs went off.
Chad
said a Mormon official relayed to the Wells family that Mason, 'despite
being on the ground and bleeding actually had a sense of humor and
remained calm through the situation'.
'Mason has always assured us that he is safe and careful.
'I
told him first and foremost always be aware of your surroundings,
please be very careful when you're traveling be very observant to people
around you,' Kymberly said.
The teen was also in Paris last year during the attacks.
He shared with us that he was extremely close to the blast where he was burned by it,' Chad said.
'It's a blessing from God he's alive.'
Joseph Empey, who was with Mason, was also injured in the attack.
The 20-year-old was treated for second-degree burns to his hands, face and head.
Collection: Forensic teams left the heavily guarded premises with evidence bags late into the night
Discoveries: Police in Brussels were seen searching the top floor flat in the suburb of Schaerbeek
Investigation: Forensic teams used laser lights to search for clues in the Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek
A masked officer is seen searching one apartment during the raids in the city's terror district
Armed Belgian police officers gather outside a building as they conduct searches at a number of addresses
A police sharpshooter takes aim from a helicopter hovering over Brussels' rooftops following the attacks
The
blasts, which detonated near a Starbucks branch and several check-in
desks, sent shockwaves through the terminal, shattering windows and
knocking roof tiles off the ceiling as terrified passengers ran for
their lives.
Initial
reports suggested at least one of the explosions was the result of a
suicide bombing. The other device may have been in a suitcase packed
with nails and bolts placed at a check-in desk.
At
least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured as Islamic State
killers struck in Belgium four months after the Paris terror attacks
that cost 130 lives. Eyewitnesses spoke of chaos as injured passengers
staggered around or cowered under check-in desks as scattered suitcases
and choking smoke filled the terminal.
Others
ran for their lives, their clothes torn and bloodied, dodging numerous
nails flying through the air, small fires and stepping over dismembered
bodies, fallen ceiling tiles and shards of glass.
Later
police reportedly found two Kalashnikov assault rifles next to the body
of an attacker. An unused explosive belt was also discovered in the
ruins of the airport, public broadcaster VRT said.
Dries
Valaert, 30, who had been waiting to get his boarding pass for a
business trip to Berlin, said: 'There was a first blast and then ten
seconds later a second explosion. It was a big big blast.
'The
ceiling tiles came down. It was just 30 metres from where I was. I saw
people down on the ground and I just ran. I saw two people dead. I
looked around as I ran away and saw them lying there. I jumped over the
security barriers towards the departure gates as I thought it would be
safer. My first intuition was to get out in case there were attackers
with guns.
'I
saw a woman aged around 18 with a hole in her hand and blood pouring
out. There was a man with an injured ankle. There was lots of panic.
People were running all over the place.'
Mr
Valaert said he believed one of the bombs may have been hidden in
suitcases that had just been checked in. He said: 'The explosions were
just behind the service desks, they were blown towards us. To me it is
the most realistic possibility.'
Poignant: A banner for the victims of
the bombings reads ' I am Brussels' as it is unfurled at the Place de la
Bourse alongside flowers, cards, balloons and candles for the dead and
injured
Respect: A minute of silence is
observed by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, King Philippe of
Belgium, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Belgian Queen
Mathilde and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel (front row left to
right) in Brussels yesterday
Message: Queen Letizia of Spain signs
the book of condolence at Belgium's embassy in Madrid yesterday with her
husband King Felipe Belgian ambassador Pierre Labouverie
Message: Letizia and Felipe said that the thoughts of all of Spain were with those caught up in the Brussels atrocities
Ghost town: The deserted
street Maelbeek metro station as the EU district around it lies empty as
police continue to investigate the terror attack in the underground
station below
Stranded: Hundreds of air passengers
unable to leave Brussels after the airport bombing have been sleeping on
camp beds at a crisis centre at the Brabanthal sport complex in Leuven
Security: Soldiers have been searching
the bags of commuters for bombs and weapons yesterday, pictured here at
the entrance of De Brouckere subway station in Brussels
Disbelief:
Belgium has started three days of official mourning after Tuesday's twin
terror attacks as devastated residents. A mother and two children sob
in Place de la Bourse, left, as emergency services, pictured right after
leaving the Maalbeek metro station yesterday, try to come to terms with
their grief
Terrible journey: Medical staff
pushing a stretcher and a folded body bag were carrying the dead from
the remains of the train destroyed at Maalbeek metro station all day
yeserday
Lockdown: Belgium police stand guard
during an investigation in a house in the Anderlecht neighborhood in
Brussels - the latest area raided yesterday
Samir
Derrouich, who works at a cafe in the airport, said: 'The two
explosions were almost simultaneous. They were both at the check-in
desk. One was close to the Starbucks cafe just inside the airport
entrance. It was awful, there was just blood. It was like the
apocalypse.'
Alphonse
Youla, 40, who had been working on a stand in the check-in hall
wrapping people's bags in plastic for security since 4am, said: 'I heard
a man shout some words in Arabic before an explosion, then a second
explosion – a massive explosion, much bigger.
'I did not see the man who shouted in Arabic as he was behind me. I just heard the words.'
Speaking
with his hands and clothes covered in blood from helping to carry five
bodies out of the terminal, and struggling to hold back tears, he added:
'It was a horror. I saw at least seven people dead.
'There
was blood. People had lost legs. You could see their bodies but no
legs. I saw two men face down with blood pouring out of their heads. The
injuries were so awful, you cannot imagine.'
Just 79 minutes later a bomb blew up an underground train killing 20.
Shocking
images from Maelbeek station show the mangled remains of the train,
smoke pouring out of the building and casualties littered on the
pavement outside - just 400metres from the EU's headquarters.
The
bomb went off at 9.19am - just over an hour after the two explosions
killed at least 14 in a suicide attack on the Belgian capital's main
airport.
Possibly
packed with nails and bolts, they produced catastrophic damage, as the
crowded middle carriage was filled with deadly shards of flying metal
and glass. Along with the dead, up to 130 were wounded, according to
official estimates.
Panic: A fire caused by one of the
explosions in the terminal is tackled by airport staff with
extinguishers surrounded by baggage and falling roof tiles
Explosion: The
image above is being used by the Belgian media who claim this is the
damage caused by the bomb at the Maelbeek Metro station in central
Brussels. It has not been verified by the authorities but is being
widely circulated on social media.
Survivors: Commuters on the Metro at the time described hearing a loud bang before they were evacuated from trains (pictured)
Aftermath:
A man lies stricken on the pavement as survivors kiss in relief after
surviving the bombing, which has killed at least ten
Victim:
A bloodied commuter is given oxygen and treated for a head injury on
the kerb outside the Metro station where a train was bombed
As the
whole Brussels Metro system was evacuated, shell-shocked passengers in a
following train were then forced to stumble through a smoke-filled
tunnel to safety as the passageway echoed with the screams of terrified
children.
At
street level, shattered glass caused further casualties as the blast
wave turned windows into deadly shrapnel. Smoke billowed out of the
station as casualties littered the pavement waiting for help to arrive.
Summing
up the surreal blend of terror and relief, one image showed a
blood-stained man lying outside the station as a pair of stunned
survivors embraced before turning their attention to the injured man.
The
death toll was expected to rise after a spokesman for the Brussels
Metro said ten of the injured were 'very seriously' wounded. Survivors
described hearing a loud bang before they were evacuated from trains and
forced to walk along darkened tracks to the closest safe station.
Wiping blood from his face, Alexandre Brans, 32, said: 'It was panic
everywhere.'
Brussels resident Shigeo Sugimoto, who was one Metro stop from the explosion, described the scene as an 'apocalypse'.
Another
passenger, Evan Lamos, who was two stops away from Maelbeek, said:
'There was a dull thud. We felt a blast of air and my ears popped
shortly afterwards.'
Briton
Ian McCafferty, another passenger, told Sky News: 'Panic set in and
people rushed off the train. We ran to the stairs and were met by
soldiers who quickly evacuated the station.' Svetlin Lukarov, 26, said
he would have been on the fateful train had he not stopped 'to have a
cigarette and a coffee'. The banker, from Bulgaria, said: 'That
cigarette saved my life.'
Passengers
on Tuesday night also described their trek to safety after their train
came to a sudden halt between the Maelbeek and Arts-Loi stations.
After
30 minutes trapped underground behind the train targeted by terrorists,
a stream of people including mothers with children in pushchairs had no
choice but to clamber on to the tracks and brave the 650-yard walk
through the darkness to the next station.
A
passenger tweeted a video of the traumatised passengers making their
way out. Thomas Bignal, a Briton living in Brussels, said it took 15
minutes to evacuate the train. 'After a minute or two, there was lots of
smoke and a plasticy smell and it became increasingly warm and
difficult to breathe,' he told The Guardian.
Passenger
Evan Lamos tweeted a picture of a child in a pushchair with his mother
outside the station, adding: 'Was able to carry this brave little guy
out from the Metro line to Arts-Loi.'
Five
European Commission officials were also unaccounted for on Tuesday
night. Maelbeek is the station that most EU workers use daily and they
were yesterday urged to 'stay home or inside buildings'.
The
station is close to the Commission's Berlaymont headquarters, the
European Parliament and the European Council's Justus Lipsius building.
Experts believe the bombs were loaded with metal shrapnel to inflict maximum casualties.
An
X-ray image of a bolt inside the chest on one patient at a military
hospital showed how they came with inches of death. Doctors at the
Hospital Gasthuisberg in Leuven, east of Brussels, which treated 13
victims, said all the bombs contained metal objects.
Blast zone: The two bombs are believed
to have gone off in these areas of the arrivals hall, as thousands were
checking in for flights
A
soldier walks through debris after two explosion rocked a terminal
building at Brussels Airport - but security sources say Belgian police
already have CCTV of at least one bomber and the explosion
Passengers shield themselves under
bags as smoke and debris fill the terminal in the moments after the twin
blast at Brussels Airport
Patients
taken there suffered fractures, burns and deep cuts thought to have
been caused by bolts or nails. Five of them were seriously injured.
At
the nearby KU Leuven hospital, Dr Marc Decremer said 11 casualties were
treated for serious injuries including three or four children. 'We have
seen deep flesh wounds,' he said. 'That can be caused by flying glass
thrown by the explosion, or by the bomb, or by particles in the bomb.'
The
British Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were injured in the
explosions, while three American missionaries from Utah were also
seriously hurt.
A
Foreign Office spokesman said: 'Embassy staff are providing consular
assistance to two injured Britons and are ready to support any further
British nationals that have been affected. British nationals should
follow the advice of local security authorities and check our travel
advice for updates.'
The
attacks sent shockwaves across Europe and around the world, with
authorities racing to review security at airports and on public
transport, and rekindled debate about European security cooperation and
police methods.
Prime
Minister Charles Michel cancelled a trip to China and convened his
inner cabinet to discuss security. Belgium was to observe a nationwide
minute's silence at noon, with King Philippe, the premier and leaders of
European Union institutions attending an outdoor memorial event in
Brussels' European district.
The Brussels blasts fuelled political debate across the globe about how to combat militants.
'We
can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of
people all around the world,' said U.S. President Barack Obama.
Donald Trump suggested suspects could be tortured to avert such attacks.
The
US Republican presidential candidate also said it was 'a disgrace' that
a suspect behind last year's Paris attacks had been found after a long
manhunt by police in an area of Brussels where he lived.
Mr
Trump, who wants a ban on Muslims entering the US, condemned the
'outrageous' attacks on the Brussels airport and metro and said he would
'hit ISIS so hard you wouldn't believe it'.
But
Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May hit back this afternoon, declaring
that Mr Trump was 'absolutely plain wrong' to blame Muslims for failing
to report extremists.
Israel's intelligence minister accused Belgian leaders of laxity - and concentrating too much on chocolate not security.
Yisrael
Katz said: 'If in Belgium they continue to eat chocolate, enjoy life
and parade as great liberals and democrats while not taking account of
the fact that some of the Muslims who are there are organising acts of
terror, they will not be able to fight against them'.
Islamic
State said in a statement that 'caliphate soldiers, strapped with
suicide vests and carrying explosive devices and machineguns' struck
Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station.
About
300 Belgians are estimated to have fought with Islamists in Syria,
making the country of 11 million the leading European exporter of
foreign fighters and a focus of concern in France and other neighbours
over its security capabilities.
Reviving
arguments over Belgian policies following the Paris attacks, in which
130 people were killed in an operation apparently organised from
Brussels, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin spoke of 'naivete' on the
part of 'certain leaders' in holding back from security crackdowns on
Muslim communities.
Belgian
Foreign Minister Didier Reynders retorted that each country should look
to its own social problems, saying France too had rough high-rise
suburbs in which militants had become radicalised.
Revealed:
Bomber brothers were gangland criminals and wanted by Interpol – but
were STILL able to provide ammunition for Paris attacks and rent flat
for Brussels mastermind
Two
brothers who blew themselves up in Brussels were able to evade security
services despite being notorious gangland criminals and placed on a
worldwide terror watchlist, it emerged yesterday.
Ibrahim
and Khalid El Bakraoui were yesterday named as two of the ISIS suicide
bombers who rocked the Belgian capital on Tuesday, killing 34 people and
wounding more than 270 others.
Their
involvement provides for the first time a direct link between the
Brussels attacks and the ISIS massacre in Paris that killed 130 people
in November.
It
has since emerged that they each extensive criminal record and were
both jailed several years ago for shocking crimes involving Kalashnikov
assault rifles.
Khalid
was also listed on an Interpol 'red notice' – an alert to police forces
around the world saying that he was wanted in Belgium on terrorism
charges.
Yet
they were still allowed to play a major for ISIS, providing ammunition
and renting out a number of safe houses where the Brussels and Paris
attacks were plotted before martyring themselves.
On
the terror watch list: Khalid was on an Interpol 'red notice' – an
alert to police forces around the world saying that he was wanted in
Belgium on terrorism charges
Ibrahim
blew himself up in the check-in hall of Zaventem airport while Khalid
attacked a metro train at Maalbeek station near the EU headquarters,
Frederic van Leeuw told a news conference.
Ibrahim, 30, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2010 for shooting at police with a Kalashnikov during a robbery.
He has been on the run since breaching parole terms last year.
Khalid, 27, was jailed for five years in 2011 for possessing AK-47 machine guns and committing a series of car-jackings.
Their
use of Kalashnikovs, a signature weapon for ISIS and other extremist
groups, will raise questions about why they were not monitored more
closely by intelligence services.
The
revelations are the latest in a series of failures by security chiefs
facing damaging questions about why the siblings and other members of
the cell were able to slip through the net.
The
safe house rented by the El Bakraoui brothers in the Brussels district
of Molenbeek where Paris and Brussels logistics chief Salah Abdeslam was
arrested in a police raid last Friday after four months on the run
Paris
and Brussels logistics chief Salah Abdeslam (left) was arrested (right)
while trying to flee his safehouse in the suburb of Molenbeek close to
his family home and near the district's police station
Both were released early from prison – although it is not clear when.
But
at some point Khalid linked up with the terror cell behind the Paris
attacks and used a false name to rent a property in the city of
Charleroi as a hideout.
In
the hours before the November massacre, logistics chief Salah Abdeslam
and his brother Brahim are believed to have stopped at the apartment to
pick up weapons before going on to unleash hell on the French capital.
Khalid
later rented out a flat, also under an alias, in the Brussels suburb of
Forest which was stormed last week by police hunting Salah Abdeslam.
Khalid
and his brother, Ibrahim, are believed to have escaped during a
shoot-out with police in which another militant, Mohamed Belkaid, was
killed.
Continuing
to act with impunity, the brothers are also understood to have rented
out a flat in the suburb of Schaerbeek where they made final
preparations before storming the airport and Metro.
Yesterday,
prosecutors said Ibrahim left a suicide note at that apartment, telling
how he was desperate to blow himself up because he did not want to go
to prison like his friend, Salah Abdeslam.
Prosecutors said the confirmed toll from the two attacks was 31 dead and 270 wounded.
Van
Leeuw said Bakraoui's 'will' said he was 'in a rush', and 'I don't know
what to do... hunted everywhere... no longer safe', adding that 'I
don't want to end up in a cell next to him'.
That
appeared to be a reference to Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, who
is reportedly linked to Bakraoui, and who is in custody in Belgium
after being captured last week.
The
computer on which Ibrahim wrote the will was dumped in a trash can in
the same street in the Brussels district of Schaarbeek where
investigators found an unexploded bomb, an Islamic State group flag and
bomb-making materials on Tuesday night.
Prosecutors confirmed that they had found 15 kilos (33lb) of TATP high explosive in the flat.
They
also found chemicals including 150 litres of acetone, 30 litres of
liquid oxygen, detonators, a suitcase full of nails and other
bomb-making equipment including plastic trays, tools and ventilator.
A
third man, who was filmed with Ibrahim and a second unidentified
suicide bomber and who fled the scene without detonating his device,
remains on the run, prosecutors said.
'The third man is on the run. He left his bag with the biggest bomb in it, which exploded later because it was so unstable.
'This third person remains unidentified and is still being looked for,' he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment