Belgian government lowers terror alert level for Brussels

Salah Abdeslam, 26, is on the run, suspected of being the eighth person Islamic State said took part in the attacks on Paris that killed 130 people.

The minister told VRT network that “otherwise, you don’t impose terror level 4”, the highest possible level when the threat is assessed as “serious and imminent”.

Meanwhile, a French police official said an explosive vest found in a suburb on the southern edge of Paris contained bolts and the same type of explosive used in suicide vests in the Paris attacks.

A Belgian police officer guards the building of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015.

The Renault Clio was one of three Belgian-licensed vehicles used in the attacks that were hired by Salah Abdeslam’s brother Brahim Abdeslam, who blew himself up outside a cafe in the attacks.

BRUSSELS (AP) – After a four-day shutdown prompted by a threat alert across Brussels, schools are reopening their doors with the help of beefed up security, including police armed with machine guns.

The total number of attackers has not been spelled out, and French authorities have not said how many people directly involved could still be at large.

The government warned on Saturday that Brussels was under threat of an immediate attack on multiple targets.

Police have launched several raids in Belgium over the past fortnight and authorities have charged five people with terrorism offences linked to the Paris attacks.

A new suspect is being hunted by police investigating the Paris terror attacks. “He is actively tracked down by Belgian and French police services”, said the communique, which was issued in English. An global arrest warrant has also been issued for Abdeslam.

The state prosecutor, in a statement announcing details of other people charged in the case, said Mohamed Abrini, 30, had been filmed with Abdeslam at a fuel station in northern France two days before the attacks. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Wednesday that France will impose tight road traffic restrictions for the climate conference and maintain controls on its borders, which are normally open to other European countries.

The elevated threat level is expected to remain in place through the beginning of next week as Belgian authorities continue to search for at least two key suspects. Officials aren’t disclosing everything they have found out about the attackers and their travels between Europe and Syria.