Today, a beautiful city became another victim to terrorism. Many civilians woke to think it was going to be another day of traveling or coming home when they were abruptly shocked with chaos and confusion. Three attackers left two different bombs off inside an Airport in Brussels leaving 14 dead and 50 injured. Only 79 minutes after this attack, a bomb went off in the Maelbeek Metro Train line, leaving another 20 dead and many more injured. In less than 90 minutes, the impact of these terrorist attacks reached 34 killed and more than 200 injured. In the Brussels airport and Maelbeek Metro Train, survivors described the scene as bloody, chaotic, and bodies lying around with missing limbs. CCTV caught three attackers, two of them have died in the explosions. A search for the other man is in full effect as he was seen fleeing the terminal after the explosions.
Only eight hours after this event, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for these terrorist attacks. A new agency who is affiliated with ISIS posted a bulletin eight hours after the attack referring to Belgium as, “a country participating in the coalition against the Islamic State.”
This attack comes only one day after the Belgium Minister warned of a revenge strike due to the capturing and arrest of the remaining suspect in the Paris Attacks from November 13th, 2015, Salah Abdeslam. This man was recently charged with being a part of the Paris attacks after found during a raid in Brussels. Abdeslam was a part of were believed to be a part of a three coordinated teams who were behind the attacks in Paris, according to Paris' Chief Prosecutor Francois Molins. Paris was attacked in five different areas in the city leaving 130 dead and 100 in critical condition.
Europe now remains on high alert status as ISIS claims to hit the UK “harder and more bitter through the grace of Allah,” This is unfolding a mere four months after the Paris attacks on November 13th, 2015. During these short four months is when healing began to take place and normal lives began to pick back up. Now another country is back to square one, back to be frightened at what could happen at the next turn, and back to not feeling as if a normal life can be led. More grieving is taking place where life should have been lived. As if the attacks on Brussels and Paris couldn’t get worse, it’s the attacks that have also gone unnoticed. Since Paris, there have easily been hundreds of other terrorist attacks in the world with as many causalities as today’s attack and they are still just as horrific. Prayers for Brussels, Paris and the rest of the world for one day we hope to not live in a world without worry or fear to terrorism.
