High security at Brussels Central Station after abortive attack, passengers unafraid

Record ID: 896465

  • Title: High security at Brussels Central Station after abortive attack, passengers unafraid
  • Date: 21st June 2017
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JUNE 21, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BRUSSELS CENTRAL STATION SOLDIER WALKING OUTSIDE OF BRUSSELS CENTRAL STATION VARIOUS OF COMBUSTION MARK ON GROUND VARIOUS OF DAMAGED SHOP SHUTTER THAT WAS HIT BY BULLETS POLICE HELPING VISITOR OF THE STATION BELGIAN RAILWAYS SECURITY GUARDS STANDING AT THE STATION TRAIN ARRIVING AT PLATFORM PEOPLE GETTING ON AND OFF THE TRAIN TRAIN LEAVING THE STATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) USER OF THE TRAIN STATION, WOUTER SEMPLES, SAYING: "I know it's a difficult time but we need to be confident, we need to be, how do you say, we need to be confident about, that everything is going fine with the police, with the military. They're doing their job, they're doing their job very well because they reacted really fast yesterday. So, and you need to go on with life, so it's no reason to be scared." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRAIN STATION USER, NATALIA DELATTER, SAYING: "Um, it's actually becoming something that's normal for me because it happens all over Europe and it doesn't surprise me that there is another attack. I just think it's important that we don't give it too much attention and that we just live our normal lives." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRAIN STATION USER, YENTL WOLFS, SAYING: "Yeah I don't really have a problem coming here. I mean, there's a lot of soldiers, a lot of police officers here, so I kind of feel safe and I'm not really afraid." VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS PATROLLING THE OUTSIDE OF BRUSSELS STATION SOLDIERS AND POLICE OFFICERS CONVERSING OUTSIDE OF BRUSSELS STATION VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS PATROLLING INSIDE STATION
  • Embargoed: 5th July 2017 13:15
  • Keywords: Brussels attack suspect bomber Central Station
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016M81O3R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Security was high at Brussels Central Station on Wednesday (June 21) after it was the centre of an abortive attack last night.
    A counter-terrorism prosecutor named the dead man only by his initials, O.Z. He was a 36-year-old Moroccan citizen who lived in the Brussels borough of Molenbeek and had not been suspected of militant links. He set off his bomb on a crowded station concourse below ground at 8:44 p.m. (2.44 p.m. ET). The suitcase was found to be packed with nails and gas bottles.
    Although no one was hurt, Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, said that the explosion could have caused many casualties and that security forces would remain vigilant after the failed "terrorist attack" even though there was no need to raise the nation's alert level to the maximum.
    At the Central Station, where traffic resumed in the morning, people said they felt safe thanks to the police and military presence.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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