“Serious and imminent” threat of Paris-style attack in Brussels, involving firearms and explosives.

[Surya Gayatri]

Shops close, football is cancelled and people are urged to stay home as army patrols streets in face of ‘serious and imminent threat’ of Paris-style attack.

The city’s metro system was closed down on Saturday until Sunday afternoon at the earliest as shops shut, shopping malls were partly shuttered, professional football was cancelled, concerts were called off and music venues, museums, and galleries closed their doors for the weekend.



The heightened alert level followed meetings of the national security and counter-terror services late on Friday, which concluded, on the basis of undisclosed evidence, that a major attack was being planned in Brussels. The rest of the country was put on a level three alert, one level short of the maximum.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/21/brussels-locked-down-after-terror-threat-level-raised-to-maximum

_________________________________

Looks like Belgium is getting real about its homegrown terrorist threat. Molenbeek is a veritable hotbed of insurgent activity.

[CentralMass]

1. From the artice linked in your post.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/21/brussels-locked-down-after-terror-threat-level-raised-to-maximum

"It is well-known that Belgium supplies by far the most foreign fighters to Syria compared to other EU countries in per capita terms and that Molenbeek is where they are concentrated. Jan Jambon, the interior minister and a Flemish nationalist, said that of 130 foreign fighters who were known to have come home from Syria, 85 were living in the small Brussels borough of Molenbeek just west of the city centre. He demanded that the local authorities conduct a “door-by-door” vetting of who was living in every house and flat in the borough."

[Surya Gayatri]

2. They've been closing a blind eye to this alarming reality

that's literally in their backyard for too long. French law-enforcement has asked them to clean up their act numerous times.

Time for a real shake-up.

[smirkymonkey]

3. It's sad. It must be terrifying to live in Europe these days.

They are constantly under threat.