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Leaders from numerous countries condemn Brussels attacks

French president Francois Hollande (center) spoke with members of his cabinet after a meeting Tuesday.Ian Langsdon/European Pressphoto Agency

BERLIN — Terrorists in Brussels who targeted the European Union’s capital with deadly explosions prompted tightened security at airports, an emergency Cabinet meeting by British Prime Minister David Cameron, and condemnation by leaders from Tokyo to Rome.

As reports poured in of at least 13 dead at Zaventem Airport and further casualties at a metro station near the EU’s headquarters, governments issued messages mixing sympathy for the victims with a determination to stand up to the terrorist threat.

‘‘The King and Queen are devastated by the attacks,” Belgium’s royal family said. ‘‘The emotional thoughts of the King and Queen go first to the victims and their families and the rescue services which are doing everything possible to help the victims.’’

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Pope Francis said he ‘‘condemns once again the blind violence that breeds so much suffering, and implores the gift of peace from God’’ for all Belgians.

“In Brussels, Europe with my heart and mind,” Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in a Twitter post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to King Philippe of Belgium and expressed his country’s solidarity, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The attacks Tuesday morning underscored Belgium’s vulnerability to terrorism after police in Brussels last week arrested Salah Abdeslam, ending a four-month manhunt for the suspected assailant in the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. The Belgian prime minister’s office was evacuated and EU buildings were put on security lockdown with officials told to stay inside. With the terror threat raised to the highest level, children were kept inside their schools.

French President Francois Hollande called on all Europe to take up the fight against terrorism. “We must make sure that all measures are taken here in France and also across Europe to help you guarantee safety for your staff,” he said in a speech to foreign investors at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

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Cameron called a meeting of the UK’s security Cabinet, known as Cobra, “on the events in Brussels,” the prime minister said on his official Twitter feed. With the full extent of the carnage still unfolding, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said heightened vigilance was needed also in the Netherlands and his government was taking precautionary measures.

The international community must respond to terrorism and cannot tolerate it, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo. Condemning the Brussels attacks, he said the Japanese government will make all efforts to ensure the safety of its citizens at home and abroad.

‘‘Terrorists will never win," Peter Altmaier, chief of staff for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

‘‘Europe is being severely tested again. What is necessary now is that we show our collective strength and uphold the values of freedom and solidarity.’’ Dutch King Willem-Alexander.

The attacks ‘‘have once again shown terrorism’s global face,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

For residents of Brussels, the Belgian capital and administrative hub of the 28-nation EU, the attacks revived memories of the city’s lockdown after the Paris attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo urged people to stay in touch via data messaging because mobile networks were overloading.

Security was reinforced at Paris airports and delays are expected, Aeroports de Paris, which operates the hubs, said in a statement on its website. The Eurostar railroad line serving London, Paris and Brussels suspended trains to and from the Belgian capital.

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The US Embassy asked citizens to shelter in place and avoid public transportation. As Brussels airport canceled all flights for the day, a panel on European defense and security in Brussels including Finmeccanica SpA Chief Executive Officer Mauro Moretti was called off, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.

Pakistan condemned “this terrorist act in the strongest terms and expresses solidarity with the government and the people of Belgium,” according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad. “Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestation.”


Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.