Former National Basketball Association (NBA) star Dikembe Mutombo was at Brussels' Zaventem airport yesterday when a bomb attack caused at least 10 fatalities and over 100 more injured early Tuesday morning in the Belgian capital. A separate attack shortly after at a rush-hour metro station claimed at least 20 more souls and injuring many more.
Local authorities believe they have pinpointed three primary suspects based on security footage.
Police say three explosive devices were brought into the airport early morning, with one failing to explode. One of the bombs was from a suicide bomber.
Terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Belgian prime minister Charles Michel said the nation is set to protect "our values and freedom" from "a barbaric enemy."
There are no official links however to last November's massacres in Paris, France which claimed 130 lives but Belgian security sources say it is the "working assumption."
Mutombo took to his official Facebook account to tell fans that he is alright and wrote: "God is good. I am in Brussels Airport with this craziness. I am fine."
"Thank you everyone. I am safe here. God is good."
Mutombo, 49, whose full name is Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo but is commonly referred to as Dikembe Mutombo is a Congolese-American is a four-time winner of the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
He was made famous by becoming one of the most prolific shot blockers in the history of the sport second only to Houston Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon. Mutombo popularized the finger wave after blocked shots.
Mutombo began his career with the Georgetown Hoyas and went on to play for six NBA teams including the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.