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Donald Trump says UK and Europe are not safe places following Brussels terror attacks

'There are a lot of problems in Europe that are very, very severe'

Chloe Farand
Monday 28 March 2016 07:25 BST
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The Republican nominee's comments were echoed by John Kerry
The Republican nominee's comments were echoed by John Kerry (AP)

Donal Trump has said Britain and Europe are "not safe places" following the terror attacks, which killed at least 31 people in Brussels on Tuesday.

The twin blasts at the Zaventeem airport and at the Maalbeek Metro station in the heart of the Belgian capital left more than 360 people injured, with 62 people still in critical conditions.

Speaking five days after the attack, US Republican president front-runner said Europe has lots of "very, very severe" problems and that even America is not a safe place for Americans.

"I don't think Bruss - England or I don't think that Europe is a safe place. No, I don't. I think there are a lot of problems in Europe that are very, very severe," he told ABC.

"When you look at Brussels, when you look at the way they've handled things from law enforcement standpoints, when you look at Paris, when you look at so many other places, no, it's not (safe)".

The billionaire businessman spoke on American television as a series of arrests was taking place throughout Europe and intelligence agencies are working together to break down the network of people believed to be linked to the Brussels and Paris attacks.

Mr Trump's comments were echoed by the US secretary of state John Kerry, who told CBS American citizens should "avoid a crowded place" if they are travelling Europe, adding "we have no control over who may be there".

In December, Mr Trump stirred up British politicians, claiming parts of London were "so radicalised that the police are afraid for their own lives".

Belgian media reported that prosecutors in Brussels charged a second man in connection with a foiled attack on Paris.

The man, identified only as Abderamane A, was charged with involvement in a terrorist group.

The suspect was arrested in Schaerbeek on Friday, after he was shot and wounded by armed police at a tram stop - this was not confirmed by Belgian prosecutors.

The reported arrest would be the second to be made in connection with a plot to stage another terror attack in Paris, after nine people were arrested for their suspected involvement in the terror attacks in Belgium.

The first arrest is understood to have taken place in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris, where police detained Reda Kriket, 34, for his suspected involvement in a militant plot that officials believe was "at an advanced stage".

On Saturday, an Algerian national wanted by the Belgian intelligence services, Djamal Eddine Ouali, was also detained in Salerno, Italy.

He has been arrested under the European arrest warrant in connection with the forging of fake ID documents used by the terrorists behind the Paris and Brussels attacks.

Meanwhile in Brussels, Belgian riot police were forced to use water cannons on a far-right protest group, which disrupted the large remembrance gathering at the central Place de la Bourse on Sunday.

Protestors were seen making Nazi salutes and confronting ethnic minority groups, as members of the public laid floral tributes to the victims of Tuesday's attacks at a makeshift memorial.

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