Brussels train station bombing

[Exterous]

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).

Walking up to a group of passengers, prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said, "he grabbed his suitcase, while shouting and causing a partial explosion. Fortunately, nobody was hurt."

The suitcase, later found to contain nails and gas bottles, caught fire and then exploded a second time more violently as the man ran downstairs to the platforms.

He then ran back up to the concourse where commuters had been milling around and rushed toward a soldier shouting "Allahu akbar" -- God is greater, in Arabic. The soldier, part of a routine patrol, shot him several times. Bomb disposal experts checked the body and found he was not carrying more explosives.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-attacks-brussels-idUSKBN19B2WK

It feels like the attacks are becoming more frequent but more amateurish

 

[Commodus]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-attacks-brussels-idUSKBN19B2WK

It feels like the attacks are becoming more frequent but more amateurish

That seems to be the MO: it's not a sophisticated attack, it's one or two guys who are hopping on the bandwagon and have no real idea how to pull it off. Thank goodness for that last part, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more of these amateur hour attempts until extremists realize that law enforcement is ready for them.