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Brussels Airport Police Point Out Substantial Security Gaps

© REUTERS / Het Nieuwsblad Damage is seen inside the departure terminal following the March 22, 2016 bombing at Zaventem Airport, in these undated photos made available to Reuters by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, in Brussels, Belgium, March 29, 2016.
Damage is seen inside the departure terminal following the March 22, 2016 bombing at Zaventem Airport, in these undated photos made available to Reuters by the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, in Brussels, Belgium, March 29, 2016. - Sputnik International
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A group of Belgian police officers from the federal airport police sector have pointed to weak spots in the Brussels airport security system in an open letter sent to the authorities.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to the letter, quoted by the Belgian La Libre newspaper on Wednesday, four levels of the airport building are "very accessible to everyone," including criminals.

The police officers also complain of "obsolete weapons" and a "worrying" procedure for the treatment of abandoned baggage. They claim that a relatively high proportion of workers in baggage handling areas have a criminal record.

© REUTERS / Yorick JansensBroken windows of the terminal at Brussels national airport are seen during a ceremony following bomb attacks in Brussels metro and Belgium's National airport of Zaventem, Belgium, March 23, 2016
Broken windows of the terminal at Brussels national airport are seen during a ceremony following bomb attacks in Brussels metro and Belgium's National airport of Zaventem, Belgium, March 23, 2016 - Sputnik International
Broken windows of the terminal at Brussels national airport are seen during a ceremony following bomb attacks in Brussels metro and Belgium's National airport of Zaventem, Belgium, March 23, 2016

The police officers are calling for thorough passenger checks at the entrance to the airport building and want a ban on vehicles within a radius of 100 meters (328 feet) around it. They also want the establishment of a Rapid Response Team.

​The Belgian authorities have introduced stricter security measures in the country after suicide bombers attacked the Brussels international airport and a metro station in the capital on March 22, killing 35 people and injuring over 300. The Daesh terrorist group, banned in a range of countries, including Russia, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In their open letter, the Belgian aviation police officers claim that the weak spots in airport security were assessed by scouts sent in prior to the terrorist attacks.

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