MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The deadly terrorist attacks in the Belgian capital of Brussels underscore the need to combat terrorism as a common threat, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on arrival in Russia on Wednesday.
"The terrorist acts in Brussels are a bloody example of the threat that we all face. It is in our common interest to act together against a common threat. Counterterrorism must be on our agenda," Steinmeier told reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the multiple explosions classified by the Belgian authorities as acts of terrorism.
Although the same group said it was behind the November 13, 2015, shootings and suicide bombings that left 130 people dead in Paris, Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon was reluctant to link the two attacks earlier in the day.
Three days of mourning has been announced in Belgium while the country is effectively in lockdown mode bringing life to a virtual standstill following the attacks.
The latest in a string of terrorist acts has been met with widespread international condemnation and offers of assistance to find a likely third perpetrator who may have backed out of the suicide mission.
Belgian media identified two suspected suicide bombers as brothers Bakraoui. A third suspect named Najim Laachraoui is believed to be at large.
