pair of New York City siblings was killed in the Tuesday terror attacks on Brussels, a family-friend confirmed Friday.
Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski were on the phone with a relative when twin bombs went off at the city’s airport. The family member on the line heard explosions and shattering glass — and then the call dropped
“The Pinczowski family confirms that their children Sascha and Alexander died during the attacks in Brussels,” Fans Van Herteren said in a statement Friday. “The family would like to express their gratitude for all the compassion and they now need time to grieve.”
U.S. officials confirmed Friday that two Americans were among the 31 killed in the attacks on the city's airport and subway system but did not reveal their names.
The brother and sister were traveling back to New York City when the duo of rush-hour bombs went off. Sascha's Facebook profile says she's from Vouliagmeni, Greece, but now lives in New York. Her brother's profile lists Manhattan as his home.
Two more Americans, a married couple from the South, are still missing.
Justin Shults, a Tennessee native, and his wife Stephanie, originally from Kentucky, dropped Stephanie's mother off at the airport just before the explosions. While the mom is fine, relatives have not heard from the couple, who moved to Brussels about two years ago.
About an hour after two blasts rocked Brussels airport, a third bomb went off at the city’s Maelbeek metro station. The attacks killed 31 people and wounded 270 more, including 12 Americans.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited the Belgian city Friday to meet with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.
“United States is praying and grieving with you for the loved ones of those cruelly taken from us, including Americans, and for the many who were injured in these despicable attacks,” Kerry said.
He also vowed to fight against the ISIS, which claimed responsibility for the deadly blasts.
"We — all of us representing countless nationalities — have a message for those who inspired or carried out the attacks here or in Paris, or Ankara, or Tunis, or San Bernardino, or elsewhere: We will not be intimidated," Kerry said. "We will not be deterred. We will come back with greater resolve — with greater strength — and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth."
Meanwhile, Brussels investigators announced Friday they are hunting for a new suspect in the coordinated bombings: 28-year-old Syrian Naim al-Hamed. He was also allegedly involved in the deadly terror attacks on Paris last November.
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