Three explosions that ripped through the Belgian capital of Brussels on Tuesday killed at least 26 people, according to Belgian media, and raised the reality of terror once again in the heart of Europe.
One blast reportedly occurred at a subway station, and two more in the Brussels airport departure hall.
President Barack Obama, currently in Cuba on a foreign trip, has been informed of the events, which a Belgian Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw called terrorist attacks.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has also been briefed on the explosions, according to a Justice Department official. The Justice Department and the FBI are coordinating with other U.S. government agencies, as well as Belgian counterparts.
U.S. safety measures
Police typically revise their security efforts at sensitive areas based on world events, and both Washington and New York City law enforcement have already ramped up efforts.
The New York Police Department will be stepping up security around New York subways and other sensitive areas in the city.
The stepped up security also applies to the Long Island Rail Road transit system at Penn Station, Metro North at Grand Central Station and other major hubs like the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, according to a Metropolitan Transit Authority senior law enforcement official.
In Washington, police across the Metropolitan Transportation Authority metro system will increase K9 sweeps and police patrols in the wake of terror attacks in Belgium, according to the agency’s twitter feed.
2016 reaction
Republican front-runner Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that the U.S. must be vigilant and smart following the explosion.
“Do you all remember how beautiful and safe a place Brussels wss. Not anymore, it is from a different world! U.S. must be vigilant and smart,” he tweeted.
