Belgian authorities heighten the levels of security due to possible terrorist attacks.
A Belgian soldier stands guard at the entrance of Zaventem international airport near Brussels, November 22, 2015, after security was tightened in Belgium following the fatal attacks in Paris. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
An official announcement of the Belgian government called for citizens to avoid public and crowded places like concerts, public transport stations and shopping centers, while the metro has been closed during the weekend in the capital city.
Belgian authorities decided to raise the alert level to the maximum during a meeting among ministers, security forces and the police. Nevertheless, they didn’t announce the precise reason that led them to take the mentioned assessment.
After Paris terrorist attacks, Brussels became a site of interest for the investigation process; since it was proved that two of the attackers had been residents of the Molenbeek district in Brussels. A series of raids have taken place in the country leaving a big number of arrests possibly linked to the assaults happened in France last week.
It must be said that both NATO and the EU headquarters are located in Brussels, for that reason, soldiers are already deployed in the cited venues and some others considered vulnerable of suffering an imminent attack.
Written by Lisbeth Mechter