Maximum alert level in Brussels due to a danger of attacks which, according to the authorities, could be imminent. The Belgian capital from today and until further notice will be subjected to a level four alert, while in the rest of the country it will be left at three.
The Crisis Center of the Ministry of the Interior has released a text that leaves no room for doubt. This document talks about "an imminent and very serious threat in the Brussels region which requires the assumption of specific security measures as well as recommendations to the population".
Citizens will have to avoid places with high concentrations of people, i.e. concerts, railway stations and airports, public transport, commercial areas with other concentrations, as well as “facilitating security checks” and “not contributing to spreading unfounded rumors and complying and following only the official information from the local authorities and the police".
As a precaution, Brussels' metro stations have been closed, as has the city's largest cinema (Kinepolis), while concerts at the Ancienne Belgique and Cirque Royale, the capital's two largest concert halls, have been cancelled. First and second division football leagues suspended.
According to reports from the main Belgian media, the police, during the searches carried out yesterday evening in the Molembeek ghetto district (from which three of the Paris attackers came) allegedly found an arsenal composed of explosives and chemicals.
Premier Charles Michel, in the context of a press conference, declared that "the anti-crisis center will review the alarm level tomorrow at noon, in the meantime we recommend all citizens to respect the safety instructions and keep informed on the channels officers".
The Prime Minister also stressed that the threat of attacks would concern more places and more individuals.
We recall that, according to the latest investigations, he is currently in Brussels Salah Abdeslam, the only member of the Paris commando who managed to escape and is currently wanted by the services of the entire continent, but also by the Islamic State itself which, according to the news, would like to kill him for having escaped his destiny as a kamikaze.
The danger therefore appears to be real and imminent. At this juncture, it must be taken into account that, according to the latest data collected by RFERL, Belgium would be the European nation with the highest number of fighters leaving for Syria, followed by France (from which, according to the Foreign Ministry of Paris, about a thousand boys would have left) and from Germany. Most of the so-called foreign fighters are recruited through social networks. Many others come from the Parisian banlieue, or from Molenbeek Saint Jean.
