at least 34 people are killed in separate bombings in the belgium capital. isil says it was behind the attack there were two explosions in brussels zaventem airport. another explosion on the metro station underground network. and these are the men that the police prosecutors say are behind the attack. security forces are carrying out raids across the country.

hello, i'm felicity barr, and this is al jazeera live from london. we'll hear from people who survived the blasts. >> i heard on explosion. i go under the sink, and the second explosion went, and everything is black. and belgium's prime minister appeals for calm and solidarity as security forces try to prevent further attacks. security forces in belgium have launched a manhunt for three men behind the bombings that killed 34 people. islamic state of iraq and levant said it carried out the attacks in brussels. police released this picture, showing two suicide bombers dressed in black. it's the third man in the hat

that is now being hunted. the first attacks happened at zaventem, where two bombs killed 14, injuring 100. in central brussels, an expression on a commuter train killed 20 and wounded 113: blast at zaventem happened at around 8 8:15am local time. a third device was found and destroyed by bomb disposal experts. maelbeck rail station is 20km away, where a bomb went off on a train, an hour later. of the attacks coming four days after a raid in molenbeek, in which the alleged organiser of the paris attacks salah abdeslam was shot and arrested.

we'll have the latest from brussels in a moment, and paul brennan, who is at the metro station. first the news report on the day's events. >> reporter: the immediate shock after the attack. a haze of confusion and chaos. >> i'm not leaving, get over here. >> and the realisation of what just happened. once again, the routine of people's lives, making every day journeys shattered, and the dash to escape the danger inside. >> i'm so scared. i hear an explosion.

everything is going down, and i go under the sink. the second explosion went. everything is black. >> across the city, another attack in the malbeck metro stakes, men, women and children abandoned the carriage, escaping as quickly as they could. the injured treated on the pavement. the shack felt everywhere. >> a shut down in brussels was ordered. one rescue organization appealed for people to stay where they were. the federal prosecutor confirmed this is the image of three suspects authorities say are behind the deadly blasts. >> the shock waves of this apparently coordinated attack rippled across the continent.

at brussels airport the injured has been taken to hospitals, the dead to mortuaries. the task of identifying those killed begins. >> months after the last major attack in europe, fears of another strike on civilians in private places have been realized. live to brussels. the most crucial latest development is that punt. the third of three men pictured in a photograph released by police. >> that's right, an active manhunt is under way. the intelligence that investigators are gathering here appears to be opening new doors, new lines of inquiry. authorities are acting pon. over the course of the day, the scene at the brussels international airport changed significantly. the chaos and the aftermath of the blast we'll hear an hour or so after that, an appeared of

evacuations continued. thousands flooded out of the airport. as night draws in, investigators continue to pour over the evidence, gathering potential d.n.a. information that could give them more clues about the possibility of further threats to come. >> one person we have been hearing from regularly throughout the day is fredrik van laou. the belgium public prosecutor, here is what he had to say about this ongoing case. >> photographs of the three main suspects have been disseminated. a number of experts have been dispatched to the crime scenes, because of the violence and impact, it's difficult. several searches are taking place across the country, witnesses questioned. >> we gather that raids are carried out across the capital

as we speak? >> that's right. we are hearing of a key raid taking place in a district of the belgium capital to the north of the city. we gather that an isil flag has been found at a property there. there were some reports in the belgium media of weapons located at one of those premises, we are yet to have official confirmation of that. it's important to note that it is the district of brussels where the grave of bra home abdasalam is, a member of the 10 that carried out the attacks last november. he was buried last thursday at the cemetery a day before salah abdeslam's brother was located. according to police they were listening in to the furniture

and pieced together crucial information that led them directly to salah abdeslam. it is a part of brussels that the authorities and police know very well indeed. and now the center of a series of raids. let's, if we can, go back to the all-important photograph of those three men in the airport believed to have been taken just before the bombs went off, and the fact that police are searching for the third man pictured in white in the hat. when it comes to the two men dressed in black, what is apparent from the photograph is that both those men are wearing one single black glove on one of their hands. there is speculation that the gloves were concealing the detonators. that's right. there's some indication of what the gloves mean, there's analysis in the belgium and

french media. the suggestion is that they could wear the gloves to hide detonators hidden in the gloves, what is key to note is the figure that the authorities are looking for in the hat doesn't appear to be wearing one of those gloves, it is widely believed that the two men at the left of the picture wearing black are responsible for carrying out the suicide attacks, there's only been confirmation of one, although it is regarded as being probable that a second suicide attack took place. the key question is about the individual in the white. the man in the hat who authorities are keen to locating. the information, as it reaches the authorities, as they continue their investigation here, may give them some new leads, may open new doors. in the wake of these attacks in the belgium capital, new clues

are being uncovered pretty much every moment as this investigation continues. these are crucial hours. >> neve barber live in brussels gets take you from the airport to the site of the second attack. that is maelbeck metro station. paul is in now u what is happening at the scene now? >> frenetic police activity in surrounding streets. it's called down. we have seen the army, uniformed police, unmarked cars. there's operations ongoing in the center of brussels. at the station itself, the met wrote station, which is 300m over this shoulder, there's a fleet of 7 private ambulances, you fellow, the blacked out ambulances which act as hearses

after incidents such as this. they arrived half an hour ago, and parked up near the entrance to the station. there has been no activity there yet. it's clear the authorities, investigators are are bringing out the remains of people killed at the metro station, a crucial part of the investigation will be to establish how they decide. it will be essential for the evidence which eventually they hope to be presented to a court, and it is essential for the relatives of those victims that they are recovered in as dignified manner absolutely. brussels is at the heart of european politics, that is important to remember. >> indeed, and the road that i'm standing on, normally it's a 4 carriage highway that goes through the center of brussels

and surrounded by the european commission building, the headquarters. the justice litsius building. the metro stakes, maelbe c k and the next along the line were used by diplomats, office workers were all around the european union, there's a huge international aspect to this tragedy here. we know, for example, that slovenian - different matters have been caught up and injured. two britains have been injured in the attacks. i feel sure when the full casualty list is published by the authorities, there'll be a number of different nationalities involved, caught up in this, and there's an impact with not sufficient tragic consequences, but physical consequences. with the metro down for i assume

a couple of weeks, for the infrastructure and repairs necessary as a result of the damage, and 3 days of mourning called for by the government, and the advice which i expect will be issued to office workers in this district to perhaps work from home, stay away from the office. if you don't have to be at your desk, death bother coming in. i expect that advice to be given tomorrow morning. >> paul brennan in the heart of brussels, stay with us, more on this story coming up. at the moment let's show you the live pictures in the heart of brussels. that is a memorial taking place. at least 34 killed in the two separate attacks. we take you from brussels to the heart of paris. that is the eiffel tower, lit up in the colours of the belgium flag, in solidarity with the people of brussels. ussels. find fantasy shows.

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hello again, welcome back, a reminder of the main story on al jazeera. belgium prosecutors say the three men are the main suspects gnd attacks in brussels -- behind attacks in brussels that killed 34. the two in black are believed to be suicide bombers, the third is being sought by police. isil says it carried out the bomb attacks. two bombs went off in the zaventem airport.

killing 34, injury hundreds. an hour later a third bomb went off at maelbeck stakes near the european -- station near the european headquarters. at least 13 were killed and hundreds injured. the blast has been condemned. security has been set up. barnaby phillips reports. >> the shock waves of events in brussel have spread far and wide. in britain, where the place deployed arms in greater numbers at airports and railway stations. the british government held an emergency meeting. >> i chaired a meeting of cobra making sure we are doing what we can to enhance our own security, and there would be presence at airports, underground stations and railway stations.

>> british authorities are not complacent. but enjoy some advantages over countries on the mainland. >> what we have seen in france and belgium are probably a new phase of terrorism, where we have people able to travel quickly and easily. france has many firearms in the country. we don't have the problem in the u.k. they have a different set of problems. >> in france, memories of the paris attacks are row. here, too, there was heightened security. >> terrorism hit belgium, europe was targeted and the whole world was consearched. we need to realise the ex-sent and gravity of the threats. paris was targeted last year in the month of january and november. other continents were hit. i'm thinking of africa, we are facing a global threat demanding

a global response. >> reporter: and from germany expressions of solidarity and concern. >> translation: it appears to be clear that a target of the attacks, an international airport indicate that the terrorist attack was not just against belgium, but against our freedom. freedom of movement and mobility and everyone. >> reporter: other european governments expressed concern. >> this is a station in london where trains normally run to brussels. they were stopped soon after the attacks. all over europe people are asking is this the new normal, transport disruption and extra security, and then there are the political effects to europe's unwavering commitment to open boarders and treatment of migrants and refugees. >> the consequences of the event

in brussels today will be felt across europe for a long time to come let's bring in olivier, an analyst at the consultancy. thank you for coming into the studio. one of the first things that authorities are looking at is where the suspects linking to salah abdeslam, the man arrested over the paris attacks four stayings ago. >> yes -- days ago. >> yes, very much so. the information and intel we gather seems to indicate that we are. obviously the timing is coincide coincidental. also, there's not that many bomb-makers that can pull off that vest with nails, so sophisticated, in europe. the belgium police are looking for two suspects, including the bomb-maker. it's likely he had a hand in this, fortunately.

>> that is the matter. whether it was revenge and an operation that was planned and they brought the operation forward. i guess he has information that could have disrupted the plan for attack. >> i would believe that it was put forward. i don't see them, four days, revenge attack of this magnitude being synchronized in in way. we know from belgium sources that salah abdeslam was planning an attack. belgium authorities were looking at an attack and 30 jihadists on the loose why is it - that why everyone is asking - is belgium becoming a haven for the

attackers, for this and also paris? >> bull gem has become a main hub of jihadist terrorism, taking over from london. not infringing in some of the radicalization. we have known for the past 10 years that molenbeek was problemat problematic. unfortunately, didn't intervene. >> you are saying the belgium intelligence services, authorities, politician maybe, has failed. is that what you are saying, i know there's huge pressure on the intelligence services for not knowing the paris attacks would happen and be organised from brussels. >> on the level of this attack. what it can be blamed for is if they had had accessible intel, i

suspect they had as early as saturday, they should have put the city on lock down in december, or put major security in the transport system. because we know na jihadists will go after the transport system, and so that is the major aspect that is the trouble when you see how they responded. >> thank you for your analysis. >> thank you well, the attacks, of course, haven't just prompted heightened security measures in europe. the new york city police stepped up their presence at the best-known landmarks. there's no evidence of threats to the u.s. but they are taking increased precautions. the national guard has been rolled out to boost presence at new york, los angeles and chicago. >> let's take you to the u.s. and speak to al jazeera's alan fisher. he is in washington d.c. tell us more about the response to the attacks in the u.s.

>> well, it's been carried out out of what is described as an abundance of caution. it's to reassure people that authorities are taking threats seriously. there is no suggestion of a credible threat against any city in the united states. we had the presidential candidates. they had their views known on the attacks in brussels. it shows that this is time for the international community banned together. donald trump suggests this is a sign that security isn't tough enough at the mexican boarder or airports, but the most controversial comments came from ted cruz, saying within the last couple of hours that law enforcement should be empowered to patrol muslim areas in the united states. that will undoubtedly cause a firestorm of concern, simply because he is attacking the blame for what happened to a community that has little to do thousands of miles away in

brussels. everyone wanted to hear from the president himself. he is currently in cuba on a ground-breaking trip and due to speak to the cuban people. he made the address, but before he got into the gift of the comments about improving comments, he had to address what was happening in belgium, and the attacks and impact on the people in brussels. >> this is a reminder that the world must unite. we must be together. regardless of nationality or race or faith, in fighting against the scourge of terrorism. we can and we will defeat those that threaten the safety and security of people all around the world. he was saying that, of course, the u.s. stands shoulder to shoulder, if you like, alongside its ally, belgium. in practical terms, how can the u.s. help? >> well, of course, the

president has been in touch with the authorities in belgium, the u.s. secretary of state john kerry spoke to the authorities in brussels and pledged any and all support. this will have to be led by the belgians. they'll have to look at if there's gaps in the knowledge, places that the american expertise can help them advance the inquiry, if there's anything more the americans can do, or more directly with the involvement of the fbi or authorities in the u.s. it will have to be led by the belgians. there's the possibility that they could look to the americans greater intelligence gathering, that is a possibility. the americans say they are on standby to help any way they can. it's not an empty gesture, if called upon they'll help the belgians, they realise it's a threat not just to belgium, europe, but the united states. it's clear with the comment that we heard, that this will become

an important part of the presidential campaign, just in the last hour or so. lindsey graham who ran for president for the republicans, and john mccain, the presidential candidate in 2008, said this is a sign that president obama's policy in dealing with isil failed, and the administration has no clear timetable of how to combat the threat. they want more done, and more done soon alan fisher live from washington d.c. more reaction coming in, the u.n. special envoy for syria said the attacks in congress put a greater focus on the syrian conflict. >> we want to remember with sadness, horror and outrage what has been happening in istanbul recently and recognised by tash. and if it's the same group of

terrorists in brussels. the message we are drawing out of this, we need to ex-definition the fire of war in syria, we need to find a political solution, a transition in syria to paying sure that we can all concentrate, and the syrians can altogether concentrate on what is the real danger of everyone. in europe, in the world, in syria, and elsewhere. >> important to remember also, that the attacks in brussels happened four days after a suicide bomber struck in istanbul, killing four people there. the turkish president and the prime minister condemned the attacks in belgium. we have more from the boarder with syria well, turkey's president has described the attacks in brussels as a heinous crime.

and he said that there were no differences between terror organizations, whether they were kurdish militants attacking ankara, the capital, or the attackers in brussels, he's trying to say that turkey, europe, are under a campaign of terrorism by militants and other groups, perhaps including isil. another reaction from turkey's prime minister saying that turkey stands with the belgium government as well as the belgium people. he also said that global terrorism showed its face again. now, if this - the attacks in brussels were climbed by isil, it plays into the hands of turkey's government. turkey is saying it is a victim of a terror campaign of isil and the p.k.k., the kurdistan workers party

let's take you live to the center of brussels, where you can see an impromptu memorial had sprung up in memory of 34 people who died in the twin attacks in the belgium capital today. a reminder you'll find more on the website. usual address aljazeera.com.