Josh Elliott and Vinita Nair anchor coverage on CBSN, CBS News 24/7 streaming news service, with CBS News Correspondent Charlie D Agata reporting from Brussels. Provided by CBS News.
Coverage of the Brussels terror attack Tuesday was omnipresent as TV networks and streaming services expanded newscasts and went wall-to-wall. After the breaking news eye witness accounts, body counts, maps, reactions from officials, the release of a photo of suspects (and political jabs from opportunists on the U.S. campaign trail), some thoughtful, long-term issues emerged.
First, blaming Belgium. The country has not handled the threat well, said multiple observers, in and out of governments internationally.
Second, TV viewers around the dial were advised that the war on terror has entered a new phase. “They’re evolving,” said Jane Harmon of the Woodrow Wilson Center.
The point was made most forcefully perhaps by director of the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, speaking on CBS.
The reality of the increased sophistication of the terrorists must be acknowledged, Cilluffo said. This isn’t just a matter of kids with iPhones, he said. They now have the capability to “take over networks such as this one.”
Harman of the Woodrow Wilson Center told MSNBC, “I don’t think this is over. Europe is a battlefield.” She cited “incredibly impressive operational security…They may have separated cells in silos who don’t talk to each other.” And Harman said the goal of the terrorists is “to perfect their techniques in Europe and then come here.”
From London, CNN’s Nic Robertson noted the Belgians have in custody a man who is “a potential useful source” going forward.
Viewers worldwide are left to wonder at the flood of information on security matters beaming from TV, and to guess at the magnitude of information that is being withheld.
