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| Brussels Airport Lifts Emergency Precautions After Bomb Scare | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PARIS — Belgium took emergency precautions at the Brussels international airport on Wednesday evening after receiving threats that bombs were on incoming planes, but within a couple of hours the measures were lifted. | |
| Initially, the threats were being “taken extremely seriously,” said Eric Van Der Sypt, a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office, which handles terrorism cases, according to La Libre, a Belgian newspaper. | Initially, the threats were being “taken extremely seriously,” said Eric Van Der Sypt, a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office, which handles terrorism cases, according to La Libre, a Belgian newspaper. |
| But soon after several planes landed, an unidentified Interior Ministry spokesman was quoted on Belgian television as saying, “Actually there was no concrete threat.” | |
| Belgium has had repeated terrorism threats, as well as attacks and attempted attacks, in the last 18 months. On March 22, attackers connected to the Islamic State detonated at least three bombs targeting Brussels Airport in Zaventem and a nearby Métro station close to European Union offices in the city. The attack left 32 dead and more than 300 injured. On Saturday, a man attacked and wounded two police officers with a machete in the central Belgian town of Charleroi. The Islamic State said that the attacker, who was shot and later died from his wounds, was one of its “soldiers.” | Belgium has had repeated terrorism threats, as well as attacks and attempted attacks, in the last 18 months. On March 22, attackers connected to the Islamic State detonated at least three bombs targeting Brussels Airport in Zaventem and a nearby Métro station close to European Union offices in the city. The attack left 32 dead and more than 300 injured. On Saturday, a man attacked and wounded two police officers with a machete in the central Belgian town of Charleroi. The Islamic State said that the attacker, who was shot and later died from his wounds, was one of its “soldiers.” |
| While most news media reports suggested that the flights suspected of having bombs on them were operated by Scandinavian Airlines and originated in Oslo and Stockholm, the vice president for communications for Scandinavian Airlines, Karin Nyman, denied that was the case. | While most news media reports suggested that the flights suspected of having bombs on them were operated by Scandinavian Airlines and originated in Oslo and Stockholm, the vice president for communications for Scandinavian Airlines, Karin Nyman, denied that was the case. |
| “According to the airport in Belgium, the threat was directed at all incoming flights to Zaventem,” Ms. Nyman said. | “According to the airport in Belgium, the threat was directed at all incoming flights to Zaventem,” Ms. Nyman said. |
| The reports that one of the flights was from Oslo appeared to surface after Bart Raes, a well-known Belgian journalist, who was on the flight from Oslo, posted a message on Twitter about the threat as soon as the plane landed. | The reports that one of the flights was from Oslo appeared to surface after Bart Raes, a well-known Belgian journalist, who was on the flight from Oslo, posted a message on Twitter about the threat as soon as the plane landed. |
| In his Twitter posts, he wrote that about 20 minutes before landing, passengers were told that the pilots had received the bomb alert. “The passengers were put in the picture and told that they would have to wait on board for 10 minutes after the plane landed,” Mr. Raes wrote. | In his Twitter posts, he wrote that about 20 minutes before landing, passengers were told that the pilots had received the bomb alert. “The passengers were put in the picture and told that they would have to wait on board for 10 minutes after the plane landed,” Mr. Raes wrote. |
| The origin of the reports of a bomb on the flight from Stockholm were not clear. | The origin of the reports of a bomb on the flight from Stockholm were not clear. |
| A third plane, flying from Nador, Morocco, to Brussels around the same time, was diverted to Toulouse, France, but the diversion turned out to be for medical reasons: A passenger scalded herself with hot water while on board, said Marc Dupeyron, the spokesman for the Toulouse airport. | A third plane, flying from Nador, Morocco, to Brussels around the same time, was diverted to Toulouse, France, but the diversion turned out to be for medical reasons: A passenger scalded herself with hot water while on board, said Marc Dupeyron, the spokesman for the Toulouse airport. |