Belgium avoided serious attack in station blast, foreign minister says

Record ID: 896411

  • Title: Belgium avoided serious attack in station blast, foreign minister says
  • Date: 21st June 2017
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JUNE 21, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MILITARY OUTSIDE BELGIAN PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER, DIDIER REYNDERS, SAYING: "We will try to receive all informations now with the different services around the table. But we followed the situation yesterday at night and hopefully we have had a very good system on the ground with many military people and police agents. So now we will receive maybe more information and I'm sure that at 11 o'clock we will receive some information from the federal parquet (prosecutor)." MILITARY STANDING OUTSIDE BELGIAN PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER, DIDIER REYNDERS, SAYING: "One has to realise we are still on (security alert) level three, with a very strong (police and military) presence, the highest securing system possible. We know the zero risk does not exist. Yesterday, luckily we managed to avoid much more serious situations." SOLDIER STANDING OUTSIDE BELGIAN PARLIAMENT BELGIAN DEFENCE MINISTER STEVEN VANDEPUT ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) BELGIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, STEVEN VANDEPUT, SAYING: "The military did an outstanding work. (JOURNALIST QUESTION) It was very well conducted, following the right protocol. (JOURNALIST QUESTION) It is important to defend what needs to be defended." JOURNALISTS ON THEIR PHONES AND HOLDING MEDIA EQUIPMENT (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIAN INTERIOR MINISTER, JAN JAMBON, SAYING: "They did what they had to do, which is to protect citizens against terrorist attacks so that's what they did yesterday." SOLDIER STANDING OUTSIDE BELGIAN PARLIAMENT
  • Embargoed: 5th July 2017 09:39
  • Keywords: Brussels attack Charles Michel Didier Reynders suspect suicide
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016M81HS7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Belgium has avoided a serious attack, its foreign affairs minister said on Wednesday (June 21), after a suspected suicide bomber planning to explode a large bomb caused only a minor explosion in Brussels' central station late on Tuesday (June 20).
    The suspected attacker, who was shot dead by soldiers patrolling the station, was later described by a prosecutor as a Moroccan national aged 36 who had no history of being a terrorist suspect from Molenbeek. The inner city borough has a large immigrant population and was home to some of those involved in Islamic State attacks on Paris and Brussels in 2015 and 2016.
    Although no one was hurt, smoke billowing through Central Station sent commuters racing for cover.
    The Belgian capital, home to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, has been on high alert since Brussels-based Islamic State members killed 130 people in Paris in November 2015 and then organised the attack in Brussels months later.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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