Brussels raises attack alert to highest level

Belgium’s capital woke Saturday to a security lock-down as the national crisis center raised its terrorism alert to its highest level with one suspect from the Paris attacks still at large.

The warning from the Crisis Centre of the Belgian Interior Ministry cites “a serious and imminent threat that requires taking specific security measures as well as specific recommendations for the population”.

The city’s metro system is closed until at least Sunday.

Michel did not provide any other details about a potential plot, such as the possible location or timing of an attack.

Brussels was on terror lockdown Saturday in fear of a Paris-style attack, with a gunman wanted over the deadly rampage in the French capital a week ago still on the run.

Meanwhile in Belgium, authorities arrested one person in connection to the attacks.

A senior government official says Turkish authorities have detained a Belgian national of Moroccan origin who is believed to have been in contact with the Paris attackers.

At their emergency meeting in Brussels late Friday, the European Union ministers agreed on tighter checks on all travellers – including European Union citizens – at the borders of the passport-free Schengen zone after it became clear that suspected ringleader of the attacks Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 28, who carried a Belgian passport, was able to enter Europe and travel through the Schengen area seemingly at will.

“We have enough pieces of information to judge that the threat is precise and imminent”, said Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, according to the Belga newswire.

Benoit Seblain, drinking a beer at a cafe not far from the Bataclan where 89 people were massacred at a rock concert, said Parisians must “live like we did before”.

Earlier this week security forces executed a number of raids across Brussels in order to locate the the terror team linked to Paris suicide bombers Abdeslam and Hadfi.

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon told reporters he wanted a register of everyone living in Molenbeek because it was not clear at present who was at each address, a process local officials had already started.

Soldiers are already on guard in certain parts of Brussels. At that time, Jewish schools, synagogues and other institutions were put on level four.

The match which was scheduled to be played between Lokeren and Anderlecht at this night was also cancelled.

Trabelsi was sentenced in Belgium in 2003 to 10 years for attempting to blow up a Belgian military base that houses US soldiers.