Barack Obama has called the family of the American couple, Justin and Stephanie Shutls, who were tragically killed in the Brussels attacks to offer his condolences to them during this difficult period.
Since Tuesday, Justin Shults, 30, and his wife Stephanie Shults, 29, had been listed as missing but were then confirmed dead by their respective employers on Facebook on Saturday.
In a statement released to People, a White House official said the president got in touch with their family via telephone on Sunday, reportedly saying, “Justin and Stephanie epitomised all that was good about America,” and telling their parents that “their tragic deaths have touched the hearts of all of us”.
Two bombs went off at the Brussels Zaventem Airport and another at the Maalbeek Metro Station, close to the EU headquarters. The attacks killed at least 31 - so far just two of those killed are believed to be American - and injured over 300.
The married couple were dropping off Stephanie’s mother, Carolyn Moore, at the airport when the attacks took place, but Moore was not hurt.
The pair were both accountants and met at Vanderbilt University in 2011 before marrying in 2014 and then going on to find jobs in Brussels. Justin worked for Clarcor, an industrial air filtration company while Stephanie worked for Mars Incorporated.
