Belgium in day two of lockdown as security agencies hunt for extremists

Belgian police officers and soldiers secure an area in Brussels on November 22, 2015. Brussels will remain at the highest possible alert level with schools and metros closed over a "serious and imminent" security threat in the wake of the Paris attacks, the Belgian prime minister said. PHOTO | EMMANUEL DUNAND | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Central Brussels was virtually deserted.

  • With the world on edge over the jihadist threat, US President Barack Obama said the most powerful tool to fight the terror of the Islamic State was to say “we are not afraid”.

  • In Paris, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said a chemical or biological attack was among the risks but that all possible precautions had been taken.

BRUSSELS, Sunday

The Belgian capital was locked down for a second day with police and troops on the streets as the authorities hunted for several suspects linked to the Paris attacks.

With the world on edge over the jihadist threat, US President Barack Obama said the most powerful tool to fight the terror of the Islamic State was to say “we are not afraid”.

In Paris, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said a chemical or biological attack was among the risks but that all possible precautions had been taken.

Belgian officials met later Sunday to decide whether to extend the security alert in Brussels, imposed over fears jihadists were plotting similar strikes to the attacks in Paris which left 130 people dead on November 13.

HIGHEST LEVEL OF TERROR ATTACK

The city’s metro system and public buildings were closed on Saturday, with shops and restaurants following suit after the terror alert was raised to the highest level of four because of what officials said was an imminent threat.

Central Brussels was virtually deserted.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon said authorities were looking not just for Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam who managed to slip past French security forces after the carnage in the City of Light.

He warned that the capture of Abdeslam, a Belgian-born 26-year-old whose brother blew himself up at a cafe in Paris, would not end the threat.

“It involves several suspects and that is why we have put in place such exceptional measures,” the Belga news quoted Jambon.

“We are following the situation minute by minute... there is a real threat but we are doing everything possible day and night to face up to this situation.” ()