Bruselas: Bombing in Brussels : More than 30 dead in airport and subway

 Islamist terrorism has attacked Tuesday in the heart of the EU. A double attack claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) left at least 30 dead and over 230 wounded in Brussels, after a suicide attack at the airport of Zaventem, one of the busiest in Europe and an explosion in a central station metro, within walking distance of the European institutions. Relief last Friday to have captured the most wanted terrorist in Europe, Salah Abdeslam, evaporated with an attack of a formidable symbolic on two of the most enclaves protected by Belgian security forces. Overwhelmed by an unprecedented episode in Brussels, the authorities refused to provide official figures of casualties and actively seeking a suspect in the attack at the airport.

Europe added Tuesday to the death throes of the Great Recession and acute refugee crisis the umpteenth revival of the terrorist threat. The coordinated Zaventem airport and one of the stations in the central European district attack left thirty victims, more than 200 injured and a sense of nightmare that strongly recalls the attacks in Paris last November and, relatively speaking, to London and Madrid. Belgium activated the level of high alert. Schools, hospitals, museums, public transportation and shopping centers closed or raised to maximum levels of monitoring, and could still equal at least today.

Several European countries strengthened their security measures. Hundreds of flights were canceled. And political leaders came on the scene with speeches halfway between solidarity with the Belgian and hardness with terrorists. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, spoke openly of a Europe "at war". Less dramatic but the same solemnity the US president, Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and virtually all European leaders expressed.

Brussels last night was a stunned city with half-deserted streets and a high police and even military activity in various foci. Violence rose early. He started the stroke of eight o'clock, with two explosions in Zaventem, one of the largest airports in Europe, which killed at least a dozen people. That attack was the work of two suicide bombers, and a third terrorist who actively sought the Belgian police at press time. Shortly after, just after nine o'clock, a third blast took the lives of twenty more people in the Maelbeek metro station, close to the headquarters of the EU. A few hours later, police found an unexploded bomb in a house in Schaerbeek, one of the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of Muslims in the city, which, last January, was identified a den of Salah Abdeslam-, with chemicals and a flag of the Islamic State. The ISIS claimed responsibility midafternoon.

"We feared terrorist attacks, and now have come," he said sorry Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel. Belgium already activated the level of high alert for several days at the end of last year, for fear of a replica of the terrorist attacks in Paris. Then, the international community put the Belgians in the target by the poor work of its intelligence services, and connections Molenbeek district -a few steps from the historic center of Brussels with all major attacks in recent years, including 11-M in Madrid. Abdeslam Salah's arrest, one of the main architects of the drama of Paris, seemed to give a respite to the authorities. But maybe that was a mirage: Belgium and Brussels again attract all eyes.

Although it is not a direct attack on the European institutions, the explosion in the subway passing through the station Maelbeek, forced shutdown of thousands of workers in the European institutions to begin their work at the time of occurrence episode , it is symbolic. Especially given the heightened security surrounding European buildings since the attacks of Paris with police and soldiers at the entrance, its doors difficult to attack. If confirmed, it would be the first attack that aims to EU institutions in more than 60 years of history.

Perplexity and impotence of esta attack they were condensed at a hearing of the 

High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Federica Mogherini in Jordan. 

The head of European diplomacy, visiting Amman para Talk of the refugee crisis, 

broke to mourn told reporters. "It's a very sad day for Europe," he summarized.

A large nebula surrounding Studies Two attacks. Versus accuracy with which 

the French authorities Were divulging the number of victims THE 13-N, the Belgian

 government refused to offer one official figure. The UN officials spoke of "very high"

 number of deaths and injuries.

Three judges of specialized instruction in charge of the case Terrorism, consisting 

of different foci were made. The clearest, the Zaventem airport, a media Arrojo One 

afternoon Photographs of the three main suspects in the bomb attacks -two and a third 

came a explosionar- not on the Belgian airport. Two of them died in suicide attacks, 

according to the prosecution, while at third, "he is actively looking".

Más difuso permanece el escenario con el mayor número de muertes —20, según recuentos oficiosos—, la estación de Maelbeek. Un fuerte olor a pólvora recordaba, aun al final del día, la masacre vivida en el barrio europeo de Bruselas. Las autoridades no ofrecieron ningún detalle sobre lo ocurrido allí.

A raíz de los atentados, la policía hizo varios registros en diferentes puntos del país e identificó a varios testigos. El principal se produjo en el barrio bruselense de Schaerbeek, el mismo donde la policía belga identificó, el pasado enero, una guarida de Abdeslam. Este organismo, responsable de la investigación iniciada este martes y también de la rama belga del 13-N, anunció que no daría más datos para no entorpecer los trabajos de los agentes. Al igual que ocurrió con las pesquisas ligadas a los atentados de París, la fiscalía lanzó una alerta a los medios de comunicación para que no divulgaran detalles del caso.

En el aire quedan muchas más preguntas que respuestas. Habrá que ver cómo las resuelve Bélgica, con su medio millar de combatientes extranjeros —europeos que van guerrear en el bando del ISIS— y los recelos sobre sus servicios de seguridad. Y habrá que ver cómo evolucionan las interpretaciones de algunos líderes políticos, con interés por vincular las llegadas masivas de refugiados y los atentados, como sucedió en París. Europa se juega mucho en esa multitud de crisis entrelazadas que este martes encapotaron definitivamente el cielo de Bruselas.