Brussels today has become paralyzed, with the closing of the subway lines, shopping malls and museums and the cancellation of concerts and other events, after the authorities have raised the maximum level of terrorist alert in the region, risk of attacks "imminent". EFE.
The measures were taken by surprise to the citizens of the Belgian capital, since the announcement of the Belgian Crisis Center 3-4 increase alertness, before exceptional applied only twice as it was announced at dawn.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said that increasing the maximum level of terrorist alert in Brussels responds to reports that warn of the risk of an attack by "different people, with guns and explosives, perhaps in different places."
There are data that alert "in a similar attack in Paris", which could be directed against public transportation, streets and shopping malls, as well as major events that bring together large numbers of people, said Michel.
The Prime Minister made these clarifications today at a press conference in the framework of a National Security Council, which brought together representatives of the executive and the security forces of the country.
"We will mobilize large security capabilities," said the prime minister.
Museums, concert halls, sports centers and other places have closed their doors throughout the weekend.
Among other concerts, it has been canceled which Johnny Hallyday would offer tonight at the Palais 12 in the Heysel area, which has been postponed to Saturday, March 26, 2016.
The Atomium, the famous galleries Inno (the equivalent of the English Court in Belgium), the visitor center the European Parliament (Parlamentarium), the Kinepolis cinemas and some local drinks have also decided today not to open their doors.
One of the few exceptions in the long list of cancellations of events relates to football matches of the first and second division Belgian league this weekend, many of which take place despite the warnings of the Belgian Crisis Center which discourages events involving crowds.
Although the Belgian Union had announced in a statement that all meetings this weekend would be held as planned, some of them, like Anderlecht-Lokeren, have finally been canceled.
It also canceled the meetings of amateur football and the matches of the regional and provincial championships in basketball and hockey.
Michel announced the immediate entry into force of measures in four areas, from reducing the number of major events in Brussels until a strong mobilization in the public transport sector, especially in the subway, through a reinforcement of deployability Police and military in Brussels and the opening of the 1771 hotline to contact a crisis center.
"We have sufficient evidence to believe that the threat is precise and imminent", he said, for his part, Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.
In the rest of the country, level 3 agreement is alert a week ago, when it came to light the existence of links between Belgium and the attacks in Paris, which applies when the risk of attack is "possible and probable".
The decision of the increased alert in Brussels this morning was adopted after a new analysis conducted by the Coordinating Body for Threat Analysis (OCAM).
The first took place between late 2007 and early 2008, when the Belgian authorities aborted a plan that led to the arrest of 14 Islamists who planned to help the escape of al Qaeda Nizar Trabelsi.
Belgian Crisis Center did not specify how long the highest level of alert will remain in the Brussels region, but noted that the situation will be evaluated on an ongoing basis, in the light of the new elements as they come.