Live Blog: Brussels Attacks

The latest short wrap from our news desk:

Belgium is observing three days of mourning after bomb blasts in Brussels killed at least 31 people and wounded 270.

Twin explosions at Zaventem airport and another at a metro station on March 22 were claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.

The federal prosecutor said on March 23 that two brothers -- Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui -- carried out the suicide bombings at the airport and on the subway. One of them has left a will on a computer that was found.

Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said two other suspects captured on CCTV at the airport had yet to be identified.

The Brussels attacks came days after the chief surviving suspect in the November Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was arrested in Brussels last week.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

People around Belgium have been sharing their photos on Twitter of the minute's silence.

BREAKING NOW

Belgium confirms brothers were suicide bombers

BRUSSELS, March 23 (Reuters) - Two brothers carried out suicide bombings at Brussels airport and on the metro on Tuesday, the federal prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday, adding that airport bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui had left a will on a computer that was found.

His brother Khalid blew himself up on a carriage of the Brussels metro at Maelbeek station, Frederic Van Leeuw told a news conference. Two other men captured on CCTV at the airport with Ibrahim had yet to be identified, he said. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)

In Brian Whitmore's Daily Vertical today, he talks about how Russia is shamelessly exploiting the Brussels tragedy.

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The Daily Vertical: Shamelessly Exploiting A Tragedy

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Minute's silence

From Bloomberg:

Belgian news site www.dhnet.be said the suspect captured by police early Wednesday is not Najim Laachraoui, the presumed mastermind of the Brussels bombings.

The news site and other Belgian media earlier quoted unnamed police officials as saying that Laachraoui had been arrested in the Brussels district of Anderlecht.

So it's not him. From our news file:

Belgian media which have reported his arrest later said the person detained was not Laachraoui.

Our correspondent Rikard Jozwiak is live in Brussels: