Brother, Sister With Ties To NYC Confirmed Dead In Brussels Attacks
BRUSSELS (CBSNewYork/AP) — A brother and sister with ties to Manhattan were confirmed dead following the Brussels attacks this week.
Sascha and Alexander Pinczowski have family in the Netherlands, but had been living in Manhattan as Dutch nationals. Many had been posting about their disappearance on social media.
They were reportedly on the phone with their mother, when she heard an explosion and the phone went dead.
More: Brussels Terror Attacks: The Victims
Sascha Pinczowski graduated from Marymount College with a degree in business in May 2015 and also worked as a production intern at Shiraz Events in Chelsea, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported. Alexander was engaged to the daughter of Jim Cain, Denmark's former ambassador to the U.S., who also confirmed the deaths of the siblings.
In a statement, Cain called Alexander a "brilliant young man -- intimidatingly smart."
Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement offering his condolences for the Pinczowski family and offered a message of hope in the wake of the attacks.
"New York City has shown time and again that we will not succumb to the threat of terrorism, and we will not live in fear. Today we vow to continue standing up for freedom and democracy in honor of those we have lost," de Blasio said.
"Their lives were cut short by cowards who have chosen extremism and hate instead of peace and unity," Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Friday.
BRUSSELS ATTACKS: Photos | Videos | Coverage From CBS News
Their family has requested privacy as they grieve and hope for closure, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported.
A U.S. official said at least two Americans were also killed in the terror attacks in Brussels. The American victims have not yet been identified.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry grieved for the victims after arriving in Brussels for counterterrorism talks with EU and Belgian officials Friday morning.
Kerry landed at the still-closed Brussels airport for a brief, hastily scheduled stop from Moscow, where he said the attacks underscored the urgency of unity in the fight against the Islamic State group.
Kerry had a stern message for the attackers:
"...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 this Earth," Kerry said.
On his five-hour visit Kerry is to meet with European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, as well as Belgium's King Philippe. He will also lay a wreath at a memorial site at the airport for attack victims.
The the American victims have not yet been identified.
Belgian authorities made six arrests Thursday in connection with the Brussels terrorist attacks, but were still searching for at least two suspected ringleaders. Belgian authorities continued to search for the third unidentified man at the Brussels airport in Zaventem wearing the white jacket and hat who fled (see below.)
The attacks killed at least 31 people and injured more than 200.
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