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Breaking story just moments old at this hour. Two explosions heard at Zaventem Airport in Brussels, Belgium. Further reports on Twitter say one was at the check-in counter.

DarkAudit said:

Breaking story just moments old at this hour. Two explosions heard at Zaventem Airport in Brussels, Belgium. Further reports on Twitter say one was at the check-in counter.

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Look, if you're going to beat me to it even if it's 5 minutes' drive from here (ok, more like 10 outside of traffic), what's the point of even living here?

But, yeah, that.[DOUBLEPOST=1458633067,1458633020][/DOUBLEPOST]11 dead, 25 wounded so far according to police reports.

Today, we flood Bubble with ratings. Hugs, mainly.

Shots fired shortly before the explosions; a third bomb has reportedly been recovered at the arrival hall.

Bubble181 said:

Shots fired shortly before the explosions; a third bomb has reportedly been recovered at the arrival hall.

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CNN is reporting that as local media reports plus "words exchanged in Arabic" just prior.

Reports now of an explosion at a subway station near EU offices.

Suspect package found at one of the subway stations of the European Parliament - all subways have been halted and are being evacuated. Fuck, the station where they found the package is less than 2km from here and the one my girlfriend usually takes to go to/from work - she passed through there about an hour ago. [DOUBLEPOST=1458635441,1458635397][/DOUBLEPOST]Yup, just been updated from "suspect package" to "explosion". Well, that's fun.

Who blows up the Belgians? Honestly?

The Belgians are cool dudes. What's the point of detonating Belgians?

bhamv3 said:

Who blows up the Belgians? Honestly?

The Belgians are cool dudes. What's the point of detonating Belgians?

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between NATO's headquarters, the EU parliament, the EU council, a EU Summit currently ongoing, and the European Commission, it's been long been accepted Brussels was pretty much "due". I (and many experts with me) expected them to focus more on specific subway stations (one of which they have indeed targeted) and the train stations than the airport, though - though it might yield a higher body count, it's a less important target.

Stay safe, @Bubble181 and girlfriend of Bubble. Are you still at work or back home now?

DarkAudit said:

Stay safe, @Bubble181 and girlfriend of Bubble. Are you still at work or back home now?

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Thank you.

I'm at home and supposed to be in bed (it's 10 am here and I have the night shift), she's at work and passed through aforementioned subway station about an hour before the explosion. No idea how she's going to get home this evening, to be honest, but that's somewhat of a secondary concern.

With reports of evacuations and ordering people off the streets, you may not be able to get there tonight.

Local news and Sky News reporting airport explosion was a suicide attack.

Confirmed third explosive found at the airport; still unclear whether there's been an explosion in one or two subway stops - there's smoke coming out of both but they're next to each other so may have been from one explosion.

And I have NATO disposition because of the "vital for national security" nature of my job - even if they close off all roads in and out of Brussels, I can still get to work. Probably even faster than usual, given our traffic jams...

Thread title changed as circumstances develop. Now more explosions reported at other metro stations.

DarkAudit said:

Thread title changed as circumstances develop. Now more explosions reported at other metro stations.

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Meehhh, not too fast. Suspect packages reported all over the place ,but the only two subway stations with confirmed smoke are Maalbeek and Schuman (next to each other and both in the European Quarter, where I live). Arts-Loi is the next one over (and still in the European Quarter) and there's a suitcase the police don't like. We'll see and hear soon enough, but several local media are doing their best to have the scoop so they're reporting a bit too much too quickly.[DOUBLEPOST=1458637889,1458637517][/DOUBLEPOST]For those who feel the need to see such things, the moment of the first explosion (security cam footage): [DOUBLEPOST=1458638101][/DOUBLEPOST]10 reported dead in subway explosion; 13 confirmed dead at the airport; 10 and 35 severely wounded so far.

And with that, I'm going to try and sleep a bit.

And of course our government feels the need to (over)react in the most ridiculous way possible: everyone across the whole country is asked to remain where they are and a state of complete lockdown has been announced. Admittedly, it's a small country, but it still makes no sense at all.

Bubble181 said:

And of course our government feels the need to (over)react in the most ridiculous way possible: everyone across the whole country is asked to remain where they are and a state of complete lockdown has been announced. Admittedly, it's a small country, but it still makes no sense at all.

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So there's nothing more you can do, then. Get some sleep.

I was about to check and see if Bubble was safe, good to know you are.

As for the lockdown, yeah it's drastic, but less people = less possible casualties?

And so much for CNN. They've gone from reporting the facts to analysis, and the talking heads they've got on are reporting unconfirmed reports as fact. Authorities have not confirmed shots were fired. Counter-terror Dude says there absolutely WERE. Click.

For the moment, I think it's the safest measure.

Glad you're okay, Bubble.

Holy shit. First thing I wake up to this morning. Glad to see Bubble is safe (and Bubble's GF). Hopefully everyone else you know is safe and sound as well.

Jesus. Take care, Bubs.

Take care Bub. I hope everybody you know is OK.

Mr. Z woke me up with the news, and the first thing I thought of was Bubble. I'm glad you and your loved ones are safe, Bubble!

Glad to hear you're safe, Bubble. Still trying to get some friends (and their families) to check in, I'm quickly becoming fond of Facebook's safety check feature.

DarkAudit said:

And so much for CNN. They've gone from reporting the facts to analysis, and the talking heads they've got on are reporting unconfirmed reports as fact. Authorities have not confirmed shots were fired. Counter-terror Dude says there absolutely WERE. Click.

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Yeah, as soon as I woke up I got the news from my family's Whatsapp. My dad (the journalist) told me to go watch American news, and I said "lolno" and turned on catalan ones. Paris coverage was tripe states-side, comparatively, and I expect this to be much the same.

Be safe, cheri. <hugs>

Denbrought said:

Glad to hear you're safe, Bubble. Still trying to get some friends (and their families) to check in, I'm quickly becoming fond of Facebook's safety check feature.


Yeah, as soon as I woke up I got the news from my family's Whatsapp. My dad (the journalist) told me to go watch American news, and I said "lolno" and turned on catalan ones. Paris coverage was tripe states-side, comparatively, and I expect this to be much the same.

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As long as the international desk was reporting actual news, CNN was okay. It was when they shifted to analysis and brought in the talking heads that it went all to shit. The very first sentences out of his mouth were claiming as fact reports that had either not been confirmed or already debunked. You lose, Counter-Terror Dude.

Since nothing new has made it's way into this thread since I left work, I'll skip the news channels for the day and catch up tonight when I get up again.

The problem with American news organizations is that they are in such a rush to be the first that they tend not to give a shit about accuracy. They always start with "These reports are unsubstantiated...MULTIPLE BOMBS STILL REPORTED! MORE SHOOTERS ON THE LOOSE!"

I miss the level headed world news from CNN from the 90's. I used to leave CNN running on my TV when I was home during non-primetime hours. But the channel has become so stupid over the years. I can not even remember the last time I watched more than 10 minutes of that channel.

I even owned a CNN baseball cap when I was in college.

sixpackshaker said:

I miss the level headed world news from CNN from the 90's. I used to leave CNN running on my TV when I was home during non-primetime hours. But the channel has become so stupid over the years. I can not even remember the last time I watched more than 10 minutes of that channel.

I even owned a CNN baseball cap when I was in college.

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See if you can find a way to watch CNNi (CNN International). Every time I've had access to it (mostly when travelling to Andorra), I've thoroughly enjoyed the level of quality in both reports and news. When Al-Jazeera started broadcasting, their early quality stuff really reminded me of CNNi.

Keep safe, Bub.

Hugs, Bubble.

Has GF made it home yet? Going on 7pm there by my watch.

DarkAudit said:

Has GF made it home yet? Going on 7pm there by my watch.

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On her way to Central Station, still not quite sure how she'll get back here. I have to leave for work now though, so we won't see each other today Was kind of hoping she'd've made it early enough to get a good cuddle in, at least....

She went to a friend's place for some talking and huddling together...In Schaarbeek. About 2 blocks from where they are now doing door-to-door searches and have already found another bomb, IS-flags, and a bunch of rifles. -_-. Well-chosen location, honey! Maybe next time invite them to our place!

In the proud tradition of "Absurd news from Belgium": the terrorists took the taxi to the airport. The taxi driver recognized them from security footage and this helped the police to quickly find the place they made the bombs - apparently no-one thought it was a bad idea to take the taxi right in front of their Den of Evil, still fool of bomb-making materials and their buddies. That's not the absurd part. They'd ordered a large taxi, but when it showed up, it was a smaller one. They couldn't fit their 5 explosive suitcases in the trunk, so they only took three and left the other two behind. They could've taken a second cab, they could've waited for a bit, they could've rented a car in the first place, they could've put the suitcases on their laps, but no - their solution? Just leave 40% of their payload behind.

Belgian terrorists, ladies and gentlemen. Not the sharpest tools in the shed.

Bubble181 said:

In the proud tradition of "Absurd news from Belgium": the terrorists took the taxi to the airport. The taxi driver recognized them from security footage and this helped the police to quickly find the place they made the bombs - apparently no-one thought it was a bad idea to take the taxi right in front of their Den of Evil, still fool of bomb-making materials and their buddies. That's not the absurd part. They'd ordered a large taxi, but when it showed up, it was a smaller one. They couldn't fit their 5 explosive suitcases in the trunk, so they only took three and left the other two behind. They could've taken a second cab, they could've waited for a bit, they could've rented a car in the first place, they could've put the suitcases on their laps, but no - their solution? Just leave 40% of their payload behind.

Belgian terrorists, ladies and gentlemen. Not the sharpest tools in the shed.

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On the one hand, Belgium just got bombed. On the other hand, this was quite amusing.

So... damn you, Belgium terrorists, for making me laugh at a deadly attack!

bhamv3 said:

So... damn you, Belgium terrorists, for making me laugh at a deadly attack!

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You're going straight to hell for that.


So, say hi to those idiots for me!

Bubble181 said:

In the proud tradition of "Absurd news from Belgium": the terrorists took the taxi to the airport. The taxi driver recognized them from security footage and this helped the police to quickly find the place they made the bombs - apparently no-one thought it was a bad idea to take the taxi right in front of their Den of Evil, still fool of bomb-making materials and their buddies. That's not the absurd part. They'd ordered a large taxi, but when it showed up, it was a smaller one. They couldn't fit their 5 explosive suitcases in the trunk, so they only took three and left the other two behind. They could've taken a second cab, they could've waited for a bit, they could've rented a car in the first place, they could've put the suitcases on their laps, but no - their solution? Just leave 40% of their payload behind.

Belgian terrorists, ladies and gentlemen. Not the sharpest tools in the shed.

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Thank God they didn't use Uber? They would have dispatched a big enough vehicle! Thank you for terrible Taxi service in Belgium where you order a big car, and get a small one?

Where do you go with this?

This is where more of us realize that terrorists aren't as clever and cunning as they're portrayed in movies, but that they're just as bumbling and inept as everybody else, stumbling their way through their half-assed plans. Only instead of home renovations they're just tearing crap down, which is so much easier.

The are no terrorist masterminds. Not in the sense of a Moriarty. Not at all.

They're just stupid redneck assholes.

Gruebeard said:

This is where more of us realize that terrorists aren't as clever and cunning as they're portrayed in movies, but that they're just as bumbling and inept as everybody else, stumbling their way through their half-assed plans. Only instead of home renovations they're just tearing crap down, which is so much easier.

The are no terrorist masterminds. Not in the sense of a Moriarty. Not at all.

They're just stupid redneck assholes.

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Like in this movie

Hey @Bubble181 please feel free to send this article to anyone you think will benefit from it.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/brussels-terror-attacks-surveillance-isnt-the-answer/

--Patrick

Hey, @Bubble181 now that we're a month in, what's happened so far?

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Hey, @Bubble181 now that we're a month in, what's happened so far?

--Patrick

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Let's see.
All of the subways and other public transportation run again on their normal scheduling hours, Maalbeek is open for the public again, though there's still a lot of police and soldiers hanging around/guarding the bigger (and occasionally smaller) stations.
The airport's re-opened, and the traffic directors decided that literally the first week after re-opening was a great time for a strike, since they might have to work longer than 'till 55. Poor poor them (they earn about €12.000 a month, which puts them in the 1% of the 1% in Belgium, higher paid than ministers and congressmen.). Other people working to get the airport up and running again were not pleased.
There was a whole lot of political blame game and recuperation going on, in the "your security didn't track known terrorists" vs "you always ignored radicalization in the name of political correctness" vs "you insisted on cutting budgets for security" and so on - one minister had to leave her post over it (she'd been funneling money earmarked for airport security to....hey, look at that, the flight directors. Bunch of ***holes).
The hospitality sector in Brussels - hotels, bars, restaurants, museums - are all suffering quite badly, with some hotels having occupancy rates of around 20% and restaurants reporting (up to) 80% loss of revenue - there's a whole bunch of different and competing marketing actions already starting to make Brussels popular again and yadayada, we'll see.
In all, 34 people died, a few are still in a coma, most of the wounded are up and about again.

12 people arrested after a night of 154 house searches; clear and specific plans found for terrorist attacks during today's football match. No explosives found yet, though....

Bubble181 said:

12 people arrested after a night of 154 house searches; clear and specific plans found for terrorist attacks during today's football match. No explosives found yet, though....

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Oh geez. That's gonna be scary as hell for awhile.

Not really worth its own thread: an attempted suicide bomber was shot dead in Brussels Central Station yesterday evening. He tried to blow up his suitcase but only part of the charge went off, and he was "neutralized" (cough) before he could blow his bomb belt.
Only one casualty, the perpatrator. Minor damage to the station, but trains are already passing through like normal.

Bubble181 said:

Not really worth its own thread: an attempted suicide bomber was shot dead in Brussels Central Station yesterday evening. He tried to blow up his suitcase but only part of the charge went off, and he was "neutralized" (cough) before he could blow his bomb belt.
Only one casualty, the perpatrator. Minor damage to the station, but trains are already passing through like normal.

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Kati mentioned that to me last night, we were trying to figure if the uptick was due to it being Summer.

--Patrick

heard it on the news. thankfully nobody else was hurt.

PatrThom said:

Kati mentioned that to me last night, we were trying to figure if the uptick was due to it being Summer.

--Patrick

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Ramadan, more likely.

Bubble181 said:

Ramadan, more likely.

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I thought it was more about literal fair-weather extremism.

--Patrick

Nah, not particularly. There's a clear uptick in faux-muslim terrorism during and around the Ramadan, since it's supposed to be the period of the year where your good deeds count for most, you're supposed to repent/rectify mistakes of the past year, and you're generally supposed to be more concerned about/with your faith. There's a mosque in my street and you can very clearly see the higher amount of people going to prayer meetings and so on this time of year and the higher amount of people donning traditional garb - a bit like "Easter-and-Christmas" christians.
While suicide bombers are very much being taught misguided interpretations of the Quran, the "this is the time to do it!" and "repent and change your ways!" vibe is an easy stepping stone. Possibly combined with hunger and thirst making for slightly less intelligent decision making, I guess.