regular programming. good morning. breaking news. terror in brussels. suicide bombings rocked the breaking news. terror in brussels. the death today rising to at least 30 people. just this morning new video emerges. train raiders forced to travel through dark tunnels. >> the first explosion didn't sound horrible but was followed by a lot of screaming. the second explosion was greeted by dead silence. >> a hunt potentially for

we're live with complete coverage, tuesday, march 22nd, 2016. good morning, everybody. welcome to this continued special edition of "today." it's 10 a.m. on the east coast, 7 a.m. on the roast and it's 3:00 in the afternoon where we find ourselves covering the town of brussels and everything that has happened there to change everything in that city. >> a lot has tlapd. after 8:00 level time in brussels, these two explosions, that departure terminal filled with people checking in for flights, carrying their baggage. at the kiosks, some say it was close to a starbucks kiosk. some people lining up to get a cup of coffee. it was packed. everything had a suitcase or back pack or a pack and. when you look at these images, you can see just how powerful those blasts were.

we have two scenes here. the airport scene up just described and then the subway station. this is the maalbeek train station. >> eyewitnesses who got to the the train station, described images of some passengers covered in white sheets. up get the idea that anyone in the immediate proximity would probably have a very slim chance of surviving. i want to give you some other perspective here. president obama about to deliver a speech in cuba. we do expect of course him to

make remarks about the attacks in brussels. we'll go live as he gets set to make those remarks. also, we're going to talk to one of the front-runners in the presidential race. both of them actually have very different takes on how these attacks should be handled internationally. >> we're talking to hillary clinton and to donald trump. let's go to nbc's keir simmons. please bring us up to date. >> this was nothing less than an attacks on belgium's capital. two blasts at the airport just before 8:00 a.m. local time. a witness telling us the second blast seemed more powerful than the first. then an hour later an explosion on a metro car new european government buildings. i just want to share with you some of the accounts people have been giving. you can see a terrified

subway car after the blast has gone off in a car further up that line. people who were there saying it was panic everywhere so there were a lot of people on that metro. meanwhile others who were at the airport describing people crying, shouting. it was a horrible experience one witness said. another said people were running away, lots of people on the ground, a lot of people were injur. you can just see from the pictures the smoke and debris. the french government, his own capital hit in november, declaring this morning that when brussels was attacked today, the whole of europe was hit and vowing a continuous and relentless fight against terrorism. what people are seeing are pictures like these, the smoke pouring from brussels airport and people running for their lives. it is really going to be shaking the psychology of europe.

this is the latest attacks. we saw the attacks in paris in november and they back on the "charlie hebdo" magazine earlier last year. people will ask now, is there something failing in our intelligence services allowing this to happen again and again? today we are being told there is a continuing hunt for associates of salah abdeslam, who arrested on friday in connection with the friday attacks. officials openly saying they believe that associates of his are on the run, while officials are telling people to stay in l homes, to stay off public transportation, much of which is closed while they continue to try to figure out if there is anybody else connected to whoever did this who is still on the loose. matt and savannah? >> we call our attention to

this morning and is expected to delivery marks to the cuban people. this is the big speech day but will make remarks on the terror attacks in brussels. >> what keir was talking about how transportation is shut down, so many people are not citizens of that country. they then had to leave the airport, they have nowhere to go. they can't get around inside brussels. we heard of the #circulating on social media meaning here's a place to come. and now a similar places for them to just take shelter from

what will be a day of chaos. >> we're joined by phone. what can you tell us? >> we were standing about a block and a half away from the entraps to the maalbeek. witnesses saying they felt the blast being, everything went black and when they looked around they say many, many. injured. just in the last ten minutes or so there was quite a bit of activity by the counterterrorism police. they moved everybody back a couple of blocks or so because of a suspicious vehicle that had been idling on the street for

no one claiming that car. it tells us more about how nervous this city is, only a few hours out from these three explosions, one at the and police understandably nervous. we were seeing the effect of that now. we're also hearing reports that the european union building, commission building, will be evacuated this afternoon. we've seen no sign of that yet, no cause was given, but certainly a nervous brussels at this point, guys. >> kelly cobiella on the scene. thank you so much. >> not only are they scenes are

horrors, but sounds of horrors. we do in the take that lightly. we're getting these images in and sharing them with you. >> investigators are fairly optimistic they can get a good head start on figuring out who was responsible because of things left behind. reports indicate a rifle was left behind, possibly explosive material that was earlier rendered safe. there are reports of a body left there. we have not gotten confirmed information on who the attackers were, though it's obvious there may be some connection with isis, that's what members of congress are saying, this attack has all the hall marks of an isis direcat

in terms of the sponse from the u.s., americans are in touch with their european counterparts but there have been no formal instructions in the u.s. on what actions to take because there have been no threats of attacks. in response many major cities are on their own, stepping up security at airports, at train station, commuter trains and subway terminals. we seeing this in new york, washington, d.c., chicago, los angeles and boston so far. more deployments, more visibility security, more walking through airports with weapons deployed, many more bomb sniffing dogs, a lot more messages, if you see something, say something.

don't get indications there are going to be changes to train stations here in the u.s. no change on curbside check-in, dropping people off or picking them up. nothing are contemplated in the aftermath of the brussels attack. >> so often when we talk about airport security, what happens about is the moment you present your i.g. to tsa. and yet you made the point that so often when we talk about attacks at airports, those attacks occur prior to that

security. >> the public areas that are open to everybody, that are not screened and not security, the responsibility for those are the individual operators. the second point is that the government does give recommendations. that's what we've been looking for today. so far none other than when you would expect, passing along what is publicly known about what happened in brussels. >>. >> we're joined again by special agent. at some point security has to begin and end. >> you have this area that's

relatively easy to get into but get to tsa. it an attractive soft target. imagine if you took that perimeter out and said you're going to screen people before they get in there. now that becomes the target, somebody with a bomb in the trunk. so the real key here is, yes, you have to have good physical security and you have to have that show of force and that presence, but you also have to have the intelligence to dictate those actions to try to stop those things before they get started. i think what we saw in brussels wasn't just a lack of enough police officers, it was a lack of a really good robust intelligence network that didn't identify the cell and their target before the attack happened. >> we confuse the suicide

the belts, the vests, that we talk about. does that kind of damage seem consistent with what can happen from those types of devices? >> yes and there are people being treated at hospitals with nails embedded in them. when they learn when they go abroad how to construct these devices with maximum effect. >> the al qaeda we remember 15 years ago that were planning

do it, do it. >> you don't need a sophisticated attacks like we saw on 9/11. look at san bernardino, for example. there are assault weapons available everywhere. >> and here you have a handful of people able to bring the capital of europe to a standstill. >> the situation is different over there. they have many thousands of young men and women, there's a support network where they can get the weapons and the supposives. the situation is much more dangerous over there. >> don borelli.you've finally eh reward miles on your airline credit card. we'll bring you president you j? not quite. obama's remarks live but first this morning on nbc. s nuer of miles.

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mmmm, yoplait. >> back now at 10:17. the president about to give his speech in cuba. the president was alerted to the situation in brussels early this morning by his team. it is expected that he will simply attach a section or a portion of that speech to this

subject in just a second. we're about to hear from president obama on this tuesday morning. i believe he's being introduced right now. this speech previously scheduled to take place at the grand theater, but obviously the events in europe have been unfolding very quickly. andrea mitchell has been telling us the president has been kept abreast. let's toss now and listen to what he has to say. . thank you. thank you very much. president castro, the people of cuba, thank you so much for the

received, that my family have received and my delegation has received. it is an extraordinary honor to be here today. before i begin, please indulge me, i want to comment on the terrorist attacks that has taken place in brussels. the thoughts and the prayers of the american people are with the people of belgium and we stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people. we will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible and this is yet another reminder that the world must unite, we must be together regardless of nationality in race or faith in fighting against the scourge of terrorism. we can and will defeat those who threaten the safety and security

to the government and the people of cuba, i want to thank you for the kindness you've shown to me, michelle, malia, sasha and my mother-in-law, marion. >> president obama just making some comments before his main speech at the main theater in havana saying that the thoughts and prayers of the american people are with the people of belgium, saying we'll do what is necessary to bring to justice the people who are responsible for these terrorist acts and then saying we can and will defeat those who threaten the safety of people all around the world.

traveling in cuba with the president. not a lot that the president had to say. actually what you would expect him to say on a morning like this. >> reporter: indeed. the fact that he spoke at all about this is an acknowledgement that he didn't speak quickly enough after the paris attack. he regretted he didn't realize how that would instill fear in the american people. he did speak with the belgian prime minister, charles michel, offer support. he says that the people of the united states and the president stand together with the people of belgium as well as nato and the european pledging full kw cooperation from the united states. the u.s. intelligence and united states will be deeply involved in this investigation and in

helping whatever they need, as they were after paris, also the forensic help of the u.s. and the fbi can be of great assistance to the belgian police as they look through the horror of this attack and try to find whether there are any traces, any trails from the perpetrators from the suicide bomber, from the explosives back to any known terror cells. >> we know that work is already occurring. andrea mitchell, traveling with the president. as we continue our coverage of the attacks in brussels, i want to go to tom costello, who has a special experience in aviation but also in brussels, having close family there.

what are you hearing from your sources? >> my wife and kids are from there and i went to college there. we reported about 45 minutes or so they found an undetonated explosive belt, they believe, that was allegedly belonging to some suicide bomber. the question is did he or she get away? they have now detonated that device. they are looking for whether there might be one or more suspects on the loose, who were directly involved in the attack. 20 believe to have died in that subway station at maalbeek. there's been confusion even within nbc news as we try to get a handle. mollenbeck is the neighborhood where we have seen the isis folks who have that ideology or the strongholding, a

that is separate from maalbeek, a subway stop right next to the european commission, the european union headquarters. so the explosion appears to have happened on the subway station at maalbeek, not mollenbeck, which is where they believe the individuals came from, that radically inspired neighborhood where a lot of jihadists or people with those sympathies live. injuries. one of the surgeons is reporting the injuries are extreme and severe. especially those at the airport have significant nail injuries, shrapnel injuries.

he and another surgeon reporting -- tom, i just want to jump in because i'm said there were three americans injured, they were described as mormon missionaries. weep just got that information in. you were giving us some information about the injuries and when you're hearing from the hospital there is. >> so there are a number of hospitals immediately around the airport but the trauma center or clearly one of the better hospitals is in fact catholic university in lufen. if you're going red light and siren, i guess it would take about ten minutes to get there. i imagine that's where they may have been taken. we can also tell you veteran firefighters are saying in their 40 years of service they've never seen injuries this horrific. that according to some of the firefighters on the scene. limited train service started up

again in the capital region of brussels but it's going to be a very slow go. >> it's actually surprising they've already started train service backp. u

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7:30 on the west coast day, that will go down in history in the belgian capital of brussels. is a special edition of "today" as we cover the atlaks. 31 killed in terror attacks. we just learned at least three americans are among them. tom costello, what are you hearing?

reporting the explosive may have been tatp, which is a common explosive and it may be the same used in the paris attacks. and a building which is connected to the european commission in downtown brussels, that has also been evacuated. can we hold the picture right there if it's possible for a moment? that photograph right to the right of it, if you could hang a right, that would be where the starbucks is be. we just now got a statement from starbucks. starbucks is saying there are reports that the explosion took outside the airport, they can confirm all of the starbucks partners hbe

that is coming from starbucks that explosion seemed to have gone off right next to the starbucks and amazingly nobody killed in terms of the employees. >> when you say it's a kiosk, is it a self-service -- >> i'm sorry, it's a poor use of the world. it's kind of like a stand. it not like a big starbucks that we would could go. >> tapt is very powerful but created by some very powerful products. >> very powerful, very volatile. can be put together with those hair products where it's distilled down. again, it speaks to a level of training. is it possible could you make

this without any training? maybe. but most cases we've seen people have gone over, learned how to make this and brought it back to use as part of their plot. >> we have been showing you scenes all morning long of the destruction inside the departures terminal at the airport in brussels. we have jeff hoffman, an american working as a consultant for nato in brussels. he was taking his girl friend to catch a flight when these explosions occurred. it's nice to talk to you again. as we look at these images, you describe to us you were kind of between the two explosions. >> that's probably your best approximation. the first one went off i think probably closer to me than the second. i'm sorry, you can hear all the sirens in the background. the first one went off about 30 feet away. the second one was closer to the

starbucks your correspondent was just discussing about 40 feet to the left of me. more towards the glass wall at the front of the airport. >> can you describe the impact, the concussion of those explosions? >> i've admittedly done my share of fireworks in my time, i've never had one go dlofs off cleo me, the shock impact was nothing like i've experienced. naturally you turn and it was nothing like i've ever seen occur. >> smoke and debris, did you see the injured? >> the first explosion went off and my girl friend was directly

in front of the counter. i turned and i realized what was happening. i turned toward her. the second one that occurred, i was already on my way over and getting her to the ground beside the countersor so i didn't see immediate aftermath, and we were trying to get out of the airport because we weren't sure if there was going to be a third. i glanced around the corner and i could see what appeared to be people lying on the ground. you said after the first explosion there were screams and after the second explosion there

was dead silence. what was the time delay between the first and second blast? >> i'm going to guess maybe 10 to 15 seconds. i'm well youaware eyewitnesses never reliable in terms of timing. i would get 10 to 15 seconds. it was quick to the point where you knew what the first one was and when the second one went off, you knew what you were in the middle of. >> i can only imagine what you must have been like with your girl friend and i know you made a friend while you were there and high tailed it out of the airport. what was that like? >> apparently we had been on the train but the first time i saw claude as he was crouched down close to you, i'm going to apologize to her for this later

the baggage belt to get her behind the counter. we were inside the building for a good minute and a half before we moved out front. with all the security you've seen on the streets, it didn't seem like anyone was around. it felt like the entire airport had emptied out and was completely quiet. so once we kind of determined, okay, maybe it's safe to head towards the doors, we moved toward the doors and that's where we encountered the first casualty that i had seen, an intact individual and blood all over his face. we managed to cross the road and that's when the chaos was beginning. we were directly across from the terminal building for a good 30 to 40 minutes trying to get a sense what was was the safes way to go.

for nato, you sound like a guy who pays a lot of attention to world events. you i'm sure have seen reports of attacks and tragedies in other world capitals. had you ever given thought to what you might do in a similar circumstance? >> i think living here you have to. i arrived shortly after the bataclan attack. i think any time that you're here, knowing what you know about this city and the issues that it deals with, i think you have to adopt a mentality of constantly looking around and being aware. it's just common sense to me in a way. i was also u.s. coast guard but i can't say that i learned

anything about this from that experience. but i think in general if you're in europe these days and you watch the news and you're awhich are of what's going on, there's in question you have to watch around. my boss always texts me watch your six, which is keep your eyes out. >> for our west coast viewers i said to you now having lived through this and knowing the situation in brussels and knowing the element that may have been responsible for this or probably was, will you stay? >> you know, i can't answer that question right now. i know when we talked earlier, i certainly had some closer than average calls at almost being in one place at a certain time. there's a part of me that stops and goes, no, no, i will not because this is going to continue tpp

we're going to see more and more of this. yeah, there's the military option of dealing with isis, there's the socio option we which needs to be kicked into action. i have a brother-in-law that survive 9/11. and i'm still of the mindset that says you don't run away that we as a society have to ma plant a flag and a no more. my own private battle i'd say run away feels like defeat. i could use more colorful thoughts on describes my thoughts on isis but i don't want to give them the benefit of driving me out of europe.

>> we really appreciate you taking time to talk to us this morning. your best for your girl friend and all of those who have been through this with you in brussels. >> you're also welcome. take care. >> tom costello, what are you learning? >> flemish television, so far they've been very accurate on their reporting. the airport is in flemish territory, if you will. they are reporting they are actively looking for a suspect who they believe was last seen on some sort of a surveillance photograph or camera wearing a white sweater. there may be other suspect who is obviously perished or died in the attack but one suspect they're actively seeking. and police are repeating the same thing over and over again to the media in belgium and this

tactics, what we are doing and where we are, we have an active situation under way. so the media in belgium are trying to adhere to that but they do report that one suspect wearing a white sweater is missing. >> all we've seen are videos coming from cell phones and things like that. we have not even begun to scratch the surface of the surveillance footage. we'll see a lot of that coming out over the next couple of days. >> we'll have a lot more coming up, including some political reaction. the front-runners in the presidential rate, donald trump and hillary clinton, they'll join us. first these messages. savings p!

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welcome back to a special edition of "today." >> we just heard from the president as he kicked off his speech in havana, cuba. he said this attack is another reminder that the world must unite to fight terrorism. >> clearly this heightens concerns about security at airports and public transportation. national security is a key issue in the presidential race. a little earlier we talked to both front-runners of both parties, donald trump and hillary clinton. first our conversation with the former secretary of state. we joined now on the phone by democratic presidential front-runner hillary clinton, the former secretary of state. connect clinton, good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. from your time of secretary of state, you know that area well

what was your initial reaction when you heard this news? >> it was just terrible horror, the idea that terrorists are continuing to strike at the heart of europe and now brussels and the number of caof casualti what look to be coordinated, sophisticated attacks. we've got to stand with our allies as they have stood with us on so many occasions and we have to intensify our efforts to find and prevent terrorists from ever doing this again. it's going to be a long challenge because there are a

lot of factors including the easy accessibility. we have to be strong and steady in how we respond. >> we aren't yet aware whether isis is taking responsibility for this or if isis merely inspired this. nonetheless we agree that isis is really at the heart of this. if you were president today, what would we be doing differently to try to get at this root cause in. >> well, savannah, you're right that we're not sure yet but it's also true that we have been confronting the threat of terrorism for quite some time and this is the latest terrible manifestation of it. we got to tighten our security. i talked about our visa system

and our when i was secretary of state, we often had difficulties with our european friends because they were reluctant to impose the kind of strict standards we were looking for. that after paris has changed and we need to do much more to tighten things up. i know our security professionals are looking to do that. but it's unrealistic we would say we we completely shut down our borders, that would shut down commercial. but we have to do a much better job in coordination with the europeans on tracking and following anyone who has any connectivity with terrorism or terrorist activities. >> do you think europe is going

to have to reconsider now that we have see how easily terrorists have moved between france and belgium and other countries? >> you know, matt, i think they already are reconsidering it. the dream of a whole free europe that was at peace is one that should not be walked away from. it was an essential development after the horrors of world war ii. but we do have to be realistic about how people move from place to maplace. it's been my understanding the europeans are looking hard at how to better protect their borders internally. and of course they are coping with this extraordinary wave of syrian refugees and refugees from other parts of the middle east and south asia. they have labored to do that in an appropriate way.

did but that, too, poses extra burdens on them. this is a time for to us reaffirm our solidarity with our union friends and allies, individually and through nato as they struggle with how to defeat the terrorist threats they face. >> in is a pore could something like this happen here? is this something that people should fear? >> well, savannah, i think we've got to recognize that the threat posed by the modern incarnation of terrorism is one that we have to be vigilant against. and i know that americans have

every reason to be frightened about what they see and what happened to us in san bernardino. and remember the terrorists are trying to undermine the democratic values that are at the root of our way of life. weep cannot let them succeed. we have to intensify to keep americans safe and work with our friend and allies to combat threats. >> that is why perhaps some people say when you great key suspect like the one taken into custody in brussels, maybe

should use some enhanced techniques and then -- is that just simply a logical step af r after. >> matt, i think it is certainly understandable that people would be asking those kind questions. as to waterboarding, our country's most experienced and bravest military leaders will tell you that torture is not effective. it does put our own soldiers and our own civilians at risk, but keefe wee we do have to give law enforcement and intelligent

officials all the. back to the question about the cell phone, i just can't believe that we can't find a reasonable path forward here, trying to help our law enforcement professionals get the information they need, to follow up on attacks, but most importantly to prevent them. and the privacy and safety of people who can lose their lives and be injured in an attack has to be weighed against the privacy and safety of our information. and i just still believe there's got to be a way for our great tech companies and our law enforcement professionals to figure out how to deal with that. it appears from the early

know terrorists are not stupid nech are quickly adapting. and the more they use endescriptiencryption to communicate, the more difficult it's going to be to disrupt them. >> thank you for your time. we're going to be hearing from donald trump, the republican front-runner in a little while. >> tom costello has been monitoring flemish television and flemish television is saying there may be one. >> pi we heard in the boston bombing aftermath as well, they want nothing to be given

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morning, everybody. 8:00 on the west coast. it's late afternoon in brussels, belgium. it's a day they will not soon forget. you're seeing these images of terror as two separate attacks unfold. one at the international airport. 8:00 a.m. local time. busy departure terminal. two explosions went off. not long after that at a train station, it appears to be inside a train car. at least 11 people were killed as we understand it at the airport. more than 20 -- excuse me -- 20 killed at the train stations and we may have hundreds of others injured. we're continuing to count the toll, including we're sorry to say, three missionaries from utah who were injured.