World Notes Belgium

At 14 minutes after midnight, according to a night watchman at a nearby building, a white Toyota van pulled up behind the headquarters of the Belgian Business Federation in Brussels. Two men jumped from the vehicle, set it on fire, then fled, scattering handbills along the way. When firemen arrived on the scene a few minutes later, the van exploded, killing two of the fire fighters. The blast also injured twelve passersby. Belgian Justice Minister Jean Gol called the incident part of a concerted, Continent-wide terrorist campaign. Four other bombs also went off last week in Cologne and Dusseldorf, West Germany, intended to protest the economic summit of the major industrialized nations.

In the leaflets left by the Brussels terrorists, a group calling itself the Fighting Communist Cells claimed responsibility for the blast. The organization is believed to have links with other leftist terrorist organizations, including Action Directe in France and the West German Red Army Faction. Bereaved Brussels firemen responded by issuing their own communique, declaring, "We mourn our comrades, cowardly assassinated this night. The First of May will not be a holiday for some 1,000 Brussels workers, the fire fighters."