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Brussels Terror Alert Turns Once-Thriving City Into A Cross Between Ghost Town And A War Zone

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 05:45 PST, Nov 21, 2015

Brussels, Belgium, a vibrant European city of over a million people, is a ghost town on Saturday, as the city is on the highest terror alert following news that a Paris-style attack is “imminent” in the city, The Guardian is reporting.

The Belgian government, without providing specifics, warned its citizens that a Paris-style attack was being planned and was “imminent” in the city, and placed Brussels on a Level Four terror alert – its highest. The rest of the country was placed on a Level Three alert.

“Following a new assessment, the terror alert level has been raised to level four, very serious, for the Brussels region. Analysis shows a serious and imminent threat that requires taking specific security measures as well as specific recommendations for the public.”

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel noted that Brussels will experience a heightened military presence in the city in response to the terror threat.

“We’re mobilizing very strong security capacities. There’s a threat of attack by several individuals in several places. The [government] took this decision following information on a risk of attack similar to Paris.”

The U.S. Embassy in Brussels urged Americans in the city to stay at home, if at all possible, until further notice.

“Shelter in place and remain at home. If you must go out, avoid large crowds. US citizens are urged to avoid public places such as major pedestrian walkways and shopping centres. If you were planning to attend an event, we strongly urge you to reconsider. Exercise caution in public transportation systems, sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas, shopping malls and other tourist destinations.”

In Brussels, the normally-crowded streets of the bustling city are all but empty save for military vehicles, according to Haaretz. Shops are closed, concerts are cancelled, soccer games are postponed. The city’s subway system and all 69 of its underground stations are closed, and light-rail routes that include underground stations are closed. Public libraries and swimming pools are empty.

The city’s main street, the Rue Neuve, is closed for the first time in Brussels’ 1,500-year history.

“Brussels is a dead city: cancellations and closures are spreading.”

Guardian writer Ian Traynor notes that the Brussels lockdown may be as much about relieving the country’s military and security forces – already stretched thin in the manhunt for suspected terrorists – as it is to protect the citizens.

Belgium has long been known as a breeding grown for Islamist terrorists; of the 130 foreign nationals who have fled to Syria to fight alongside ISIS, some 85 are known to have come from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek. Belgium Interior Minister Jan Jambon has urged the Belgian police to conduct a door-to-door search for terrorists, and thoroughly question every last Muslim resident living in the city.

Meanwhile, Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam is believed to have fled France and returned to Belgium, possibly to Brussels or Molenbeek. On Saturday evening (Brussels time), police stopped a car with French license plates carrying several young people, at a gas station known to be frequented by Abdeslam. It is not clear, as of this writing, if any occupants of the vehicle were arrested or otherwise suspected of ties to terrorism.

The lockdown in Burssels is expected to continue until Saturday afternoon, when officials will meet to consider lifting or extending the terror alert.

[Image via Shutterstock/Ditty_about_summer]

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