Subways in Brussels are closed and heavily armed police and soldiers are deployed as the government warns of a repeat threat of the Paris terror attacks.
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At least one Paris attacker, Salah Abdeslam, crossed into Belgium the morning after the attacks but his whereabouts are unknown.
Authorities are particularly anxious about Salah Abdeslam, 26, who is wanted on an worldwide arrest warrant for his role in the Paris attacks.
He’s considered to possess experienced connection with the suspects who perpetrated the Paris assaults, an official said.
Brussels, a city of more than 1 million people, hosts the headquarters of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, as well as many large corporations.
It is important to state that Brussels was the home of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected organizer of the Paris attacks.
“This was due to a threat of an attack by individuals with explosives and weapons at several locations in the capital”, Mr Michel said.
Previously, only certain sites, such as the United States embassy, were at level three.
A statement appearing on the crisis centre’s website has called on local authorities to cancel large events, such as football matches, and to close the Brussels metro for the weekend as well has having a greater police and military presence on the city’s streets.
The president added that people should be alert, but that there was no need for panic. “It’s a good thing”, said one man in Brussels. He declined to elaborate, but said the government would review the situation this afternoon.
The alert level for all of Belgium was raised following the Paris attacks to level three out of four, implying a “possible or probable” threat.
Raising the alert “suggests they have something specific and credible at the intelligence front pointing them in the direction that there may be a terrorist plot in the works”, said CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank. His lawyer, Thomas Descamps, said his client denies the charges of belonging to a terrorist group, taking part in a terrorist attack and bearing arms.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Jan Jambon stated that most Belgians who returned from fighting in Syria live in Molenbeek, although they don’t have the precise records of who live there.
The three were identified as two Syrians and a Belgian identified as Ahmet D., according to the Anadolu news agency. “What I can say is that there’s a real threat and that’s why we raised the level to 4, and why we’ve taken security measures”.
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Jewish schools, synagogues and other institutions were all placed on level four.
