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        Belgium Marks Moment of Silence for Victims of Brussels Attacks

   by Lisa Bryant

   Belgians marked a minute of silence Wednesday for the victims of the
   Brussels terrorist attacks, as authorities identified two of the
   suicide bombers in the assaults that killed more than 30 people and
   injured around 270 others.

   Hundreds gathered at the Place de la Bourse in downtown Brussels to
   light candles and scrawl messages of love and peace on the wide
   sidewalk.

   As the day turned into evening, the gathering became boisterous as
   participants sang, chanted and waved Belgian flags.

   "I'm still in shock about what happened," said city hall worker Suzanne
   Ibrahim, 31, who lit a candle for a friend who was injured during
   Tuesday's suicide attack in a Brussels subway car.

   "He's still in intensive care and we don't know whether he's going to
   make it or not," she added.

   Other were outraged at the attackers.

   "These people are just scum and thieves," said Pierre Gilles, 62. "They
   have nothing to do with Islam."

   Many Muslims also attended the Brussels rally, singing songs in Arabic
   and French. Some are now worried of a backlash.

   "Yes, I sometimes feel stigmatized," said Larbi Arbaoui, an ethnic
   Moroccan who was born and raised in Brussels. "But we must move forward
   together."

   At the Maalbeek station, top Belgian and European Union officials also
   observed a moment of silence for the victims.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/belgium-marks-moment-silence-brussels
   -attacks-victims/3251655.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/belgium-marks-moment-silence-brussels-attacks-victims/3251655.html