ISIL bombings kill 34 in heart of Europe

At least 34 people were killed in bombing attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Brussels' airport and the metro in the Belgian capital on March 22, triggering security alerts across Europe and global expressions of support. 

A witness said he heard shouts in Arabic and shots shortly before two blasts struck a packed airport departure lounge at Brussels airport. A federal prosecutor said one of the explosions was probably triggered by a suicide bomber. 

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel spoke at a Brussels news conference of a "black moment" for his country. "What we had feared has come to pass."

The blasts occurred four days after the arrest in Brussels of a suspected participant in the Nov. 13, 2015, ISIL attacks in Paris, Salah Abdeslam. Belgian police and combat troops on the streets had been on alert for reprisals but the attacks took place in crowded areas where people and bags are not searched. 

British Sky News television's Alex Rossi, at the airport, said he heard two "very, very loud explosions." "I could feel the building move. There was also dust and smoke as well...I went toward where the explosion came from and there were people coming out looking very dazed and shocked." 

"Islamic State [ISIL] fighters carried out a series of bombings with explosive belts and devices on Tuesday [March 22], targeting an airport and a central metro station in the center of the Belgian capital Brussels," said a news agency affiliated with ISIL, the AMAQ agency.

Public broadcaster VRT said police had found a Kalashnikov assault rifle next to the body of an attacker at the airport. Such weapons have become a trademark of ISIL-inspired attacks in Europe, notably in Belgium and France, including...