Brussels attack: Shout heard in Arabic before blasts, says Belgian news agency

Brussels, March 22: Belgian news agency Belga said shots were fired and Arabic was shouted before explosions rocked the city's Zaventem Airport, killing many and injuring several.

The explosions at the airport were followed by a blast at the city's Maalbeek metro station, resulting in shutting down of the metro stations. The airport was also locked down with the authorities asking passengers not to go there.

Tuesday's blasts came just four days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect in the terror attacks that rocked Paris last November, killing 130 people. The Belgian police were ready to tackle for any retaliation.

Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon said on Monday the country was on high alert for a possible revenge attack following Abdeslam's arrest.

French investigator Francois Molins told a news conference in Paris last Saturday that Abdeslam, a French citizen born and raised in Brussels, told the authorities that he had wanted to blow himself up along with others at the Stade de France on the day of the attack claimed by the Islamic State but backed out later.

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