Brussels explosions warning to heart of EU: expert

Tuesday's blasts at an airport and metro station in Brussels were probably a reaction to the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the suspected main mastermind behind the November terror attacks in Paris, announced Slovak security analyst Milan Zitny on the same day.

"It's probably a reaction to the capture of Salah Abdeslam, and at the same time it needs to be taken as a warning to the heart of the EU. We need to be serious about this, as the EU administration as well as NATO administration for Europe is there in Brussels. It also gives a very bad reputation to Brussels's intelligence services and the police force," explained Zitny.

Abdeslam was arrested in the Brussels borough of Molenbeek on March 18.

According to security analyst Jaroslav Nad, the explosions in Brussels earlier in the day weren't a surprise, as the Belgian capital is among the cities under an enormous threat of terrorist attacks.

"It's because it's at the heart of Europe, and the community of the powerful converges there," explained Nad, adding that such attacks couldn't be completely prevented. Nad noted that one of the explosions at Zaventem airport occurred at the American Airlines booth, while the one was at a metro station near the EU institutions.

"It's as if they've attacked the USA and the EU," asserted Nad.

The Belgian capital was hit by several explosions on Tuesday. The blasts targeted Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station near EU institutions, killing as many as 34 people. Endit