ISIS claims responsibility for Brussels terrorist attack

Just four days after the arrest of the last surviving suspected terrorist in the November Paris attacks, several explosions rock Brussels Tuesday morning, killing 26 people and wounding 100 others.

Two of the blasts hit the international airport in the Belgium capital and another detonation occurred at a  metro station, prompting officials to place the city on high alert, NPR reports.   

Several people were trapped in a subway tunnel following one of the explosions, according to raw and dramatic video posted by the Associated Press.

Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that the U.S. was working “to determine the status of all American citizens in Brussels” and the embassy there issued a statement telling Americans to stay where they are and “take the appropriate steps to bolster your personal security,” ABC News reported.

“What we feared has happened, we were hit by blind attacks,” Prime Minister Charles Michel said.

French President Francois Hollande reportedly said, “terrorists struck Brussels, but it was Europe that was targeted — and all the world that is concerned.”

The explosions were the result of a suicide attacker, who struck sometime close to 8 a.m. Brussels time after unleashing a volley of gunfire before reportedly yelling something in Arabic.

Notre metro bien connu… Image choquante de #maelbeek … pic.twitter.com/XhgB71RM0P

— alxdm (@alxdm) March 22, 2016

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump weighed in on the attack, saying he knew it was coming and that the U.S. should close its borders.

“I’ve been talking about this for a long time, and look at Brussels,” Trump said in a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday. “Brussels was a beautiful city, a beautiful place with zero crime, and now it’s a disaster city. It’s a total disaster.”

“We have to be very, very vigilant as to who we allowed into this country.” –@realDonaldTrumphttps://t.co/yvcrcQNNgS

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) March 22, 2016

Trump’s opponent, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, also vying for the Republican presidential nomination, said America needs to strengthen ties with its allies to “root out evil.”

We must strengthen our alliances to root out evil. Not dismantle them. #Brussels pic.twitter.com/fscW7zzD64

— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) March 22, 2016

At least one U.S. city launched counter-terrorism resources in response to the European bombing. The New York City Police Department released a statement saying it was monitoring the situation and preparing for the worst.

It’s unknown if the Brussels attack is linked to the recent arrest of Salah Abdeslam, who authorities say is the last surviving terrorist responsible for three coordinated attacks on Paris last year, but the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for both attacks, according to Egyptian media. Abdeslam allegedly helped to plan the attacks that ended in the deaths of 130 people and the wounding of 368 more in the French capital. Abdeslam ditched his suicide vest in a dumpster before fleeing to nearby Brussels, where he was arrested Friday.   

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