2016 Brussels bombings

=== Maelbeek metro station ===
Just over an hour later, at 9:11, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a rucksack in the middle carriage of a three-carriage train at Maelbeek metro station, located near the [[European Commission]] headquarters in the [[Brussels and the European Union#European Quarter|European Quarter]] of Brussels, {{convert|10|km|0}} from Brussels Airport.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/22/brussels-airport-explosions-heard|title=Islamic State claims attacks at Brussels airport and metro station|date=22 March 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=11 March 2023|archive-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407163721/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/22/brussels-airport-explosions-heard|url-status=live}}</ref> The train was travelling on [[Brussels Metro line 5|line 5]] towards the city centre, and was pulling out of Maelbeek metro station when the bomb exploded.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lesoir.be/489570/article/2023-01-18/proces-des-attentats-de-bruxelles-kalhid-el-bakraoui-pris-le-metro-dans-le-sens|title=Procès des attentats de Bruxelles: Kalhid El Bakraoui a pris le métro dans le sens opposé à Maelbeek avant de se faire exploser|date=18 January 2023|work=Le Soir|access-date=11 March 2023|archive-date=11 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311130207/https://www.lesoir.be/489570/article/2023-01-18/proces-des-attentats-de-bruxelles-kalhid-el-bakraoui-pris-le-metro-dans-le-sens|url-status=live}}</ref> The driver immediately stopped the train and helped to evacuate the passengers.<ref name="RTBF">{{cite news|title=Le conducteur du métro attaqué à Maelbeek: "J'ai fait ce que j'avais à faire"|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_christian-delhasse-le-conducteur-du-metro-attaque-a-maelbeek-j-ai-fait-ce-que-j-avais-a-faire?id=9248958|website=[[RTBF]]|date=22 March 2016|access-date=31 March 2016|archive-date=4 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404013604/http://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_christian-delhasse-le-conducteur-du-metro-attaque-a-maelbeek-j-ai-fait-ce-que-j-avais-a-faire?id=9248958|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Brussels Metro]] was subsequently shut down at 09:27.<ref name="independent" />

A second suicide bomber carrying a bomb in a rucksack left the metro without detonating his bomb, instead taking it back to a hideout in [[Etterbeek]], an eastern municipality of Brussels, where he dismantled it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2016/04/29/second_maalbeek_bombflusheddownthetoilet-1-2642486/|title=Second Maalbeek bomb flushed down the toilet?|date=29 April 2016|work=VRT|access-date=11 March 2023|archive-date=11 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311130213/https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2016/04/29/second_maalbeek_bombflusheddownthetoilet-1-2642486/|url-status=live}}</ref>