At least one suspect from last Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris is at large and was last seen crossing into Belgium.
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Belgian capital Brussels has been placed under the highest level four on the government threat scale – and the public warned not to gather in large numbers – after a meeting of top ministers, police and security services.
The new threat alert has prompted several recommendations, including avoiding places in areas that have a high concentration of people, such as malls, train stations, and airports.
The metro is closed until Sunday and people have been told to avoid crowds.
A spokesman for the country’s crisis centre said in a statement: “Following our latest evaluation… the centre has raised its terror alert to level 4, signifying a very serious threat, for the Brussels region”.
Fugitive suspected militant Salah Abdeslam, 26, slipped back home to Brussels from Paris shortly after the attacks, in which his elder brother Brahim blew himself up at a cafe.
There have been a series of anti-terror raids around the capital, focused on the Molenbeek neighborhood.
Speaking at a news conference, he said the fear was that “several individuals with arms and explosives could launch an attack… perhaps even in several places”. “The work of federal prosecutors is still going on”, he said, adding the government was assessing what extra security measures to take.
The security forces arrested him because they believed he was an Islamic State militant preparing to illegally cross the Turkish-Syrian border, the official said.
The U.S. European Command issued similar travel restrictions for France shortly after last week’s attacks in Paris.
Dahmani had allegedly been attempting to cross the Turkish border into Syria prior to his arrest, and reportedly entered Turkey via a flight from Amsterdam on November 14, one day after the Paris attack.
Abdeslam’s childhood friend, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, is the suspected ringleader of the Paris killings.
The agency says he was detained in a police raid at his hotel.
Marking a week since the carnage, a few Parisians lit candles and paid tribute Friday night to the victims with silent reflection. It was also stepping up the military and police presence.
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The ITF, which organises the competition, has been in discussions with Belgian authorities since it emerged that Brussels was at the centre of the terrorist plot that led to the attacks on Paris.
