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WORLD NEWSWednesday 30 March 2016

Tense commuters, politicians: No more ‘normal’ in Brussels

Commuters walk past soldiers on duty at Brussels Central Station as they return to work after the were subsequently arrest- at the airport, while the
easter holidays in Brussels, Tuesday, March, 29, 2016. The mayor of Brussels, holding special meet- ed were Belgian nation- other brother, Khalid, det-
ings in Paris after deadly attacks on his city, says the European Union’s capital can never go back als of North African back- onated a bomb inside a
to “normal” again. Yvan Mayeur met with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in the French capital’s neo- ground. train leaving the Maelbeek
Renaissance city hall Tuesday for discussions on how Paris reacted to the November attacks. “Now is not the time to subway station.
fight one another. As far The timing of the note
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant) as I know, the enemy is and why it was sent to the
in Syria,” Justice Minister Dutch remained unclear.
RAF CASERT bombers killed 32 people wounded are foreigners Koen Geens said, referring Belgian authorities said
at Brussels’ airport and in from 20 nations. to the primary power base Tuesday they were not in-
JOHN DAHLBURG a subway station near the Belgium has faced rising in- of the Islamic State ex- formed of its existence and
European Union headquar- ternational criticism over its tremist group that claimed had no idea where the El
Associated Press ters. Three suicide bombers evident inability to identify responsibility for both at- Bakroaui brothers were be-
also blew themselves up. and monitor Islamic State tacks. fore the Brussels bombings.
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s The Health Ministry and vic- activists living in the Belgian But authorities in Belgium Belgium has voiced deter-
tims identification officials capital who have been and the neighboring Neth- mination to toughen its se-
justice minister pleaded said 90 people remain in deemed responsible both erlands faced fresh ques- curity powers.
hospital, a third of them suf- for the March 22 bombings tions Tuesday about how On Tuesday, a parliamen-
Tuesday for critics of Bel- fering from severe burns. in Brussels and the Nov. 13 much they knew in ad- tary committee approved
In a joint press conference attacks on Paris nightspots vance of the March 22 anti-terror proposals to give
gium’s intelligence failures they said the 32 dead in- that left 130 dead. Several bombings. police round-the-clock
clude 17 Belgians and 15 of those who killed them- powers for house search-
to focus on the hunt for foreigners, while 44 of the selves during the attacks or Turkey already has re- es, to improve the Belgian
vealed it deported one data base on extremists,
those behind last week’s of the suicide bombers, and to increase phone-
Ibrahim El Bakraoui, to the tapping powers. The full
Brussels attacks and No- Netherlands in mid-2015 af- parliament has yet to con-
ter catching him near the sider these measures.
vember’s massacre in Paris. Syrian border and identify- Brussels Mayor Yvan May-
ing him to Dutch authorities eur, who faces criticism for
Investigators say they are as a suspected IS militant. his own actions before and
Dutch Justice Minister Ard after the suicide bombings,
still looking for at least one van der Steur said Tuesday said
that his country’s security Belgian authorities must
suspect in the attacks sev- services received a note learn painful lessons and
from the FBI on March 16 improve their ability to
en days ago, when suicide detailing what he called combat Islamic militancy.
the “radical and terror- “Were there mistakes? Did
ist background” of the El we miss anything? Cer-
Bakraoui brothers. One, tainly. Otherwise these at-
Ibrahim, blew himself up tacks would not have hap-
alongside an accomplice pened,” Mayeur said. Brus-
sels, he suggested, would
Migrant protests intensify at the Greek border never feel the same.
“There’s no such thing as
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) for the past eight days, number of migrants leaving day. ‘normal’ anymore,” he
— Police have clashed with demanding that the bor- Turkey for Greece in search Under an EU-Turkey agree- said during a visit to Paris.
some 300 migrants and ref- der reopen. Macedonia of sanctuary or jobs in Eu- ment, Ankara is supposed Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo
ugees at the Greek border says the border will remain rope has dropped sharply to stop migrants arriving in pledged solidarity with Bel-
with Macedonia, as pro- closed to all migrants at over the last week. Europe and take back all gium as it begins “a long
tests intensified and thou- least until the end of the EU Commission spokes- people from Greece who and painful process of
sands ignored government year. woman Natasha Bertaud do not qualify for asylum. grieving and reconstruc-
instructions to move to or- Some 12,000 people re- said that “less than 1,000 For the returns to Turkey tion.”
ganized shelters. main camped out in harsh people arrived last week, to happen, Greece must Brussels’ airport has yet to
Youths threw rocks at riot conditions near the border compared to average ar- change its laws and de- reopen since the attacks
police who withdrew from village of Idomeni, despite rivals of 2,000 a day in pre- clare Turkey a “safe coun- but has been testing a
the area without making daily calls by the govern- vious weeks.” try” for the migrants. Ath- temporary check-in system
any arrests, authorities said ment to move to nearby Commission figures show ens agreed to do that by for use in coming days. The
Tuesday. shelters built by the army. that fewer than 600 people March 28, but drafting of subway system is mostly
The protesters have The European Union, mean- arrived over the four-day the bill has taken longer running again, though un-
blocked freight rail tracks while, said Tuesday that the Easter weekend from Fri- than expected. der heavy guard.