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Dozen arrested in Belgium during anti-terror raids
| New York Daily News | - |
Police
officers search a backpack at Antwerp Central train station in Antwerp,
Belgium on Saturday. (Virginia Mayo/AP). THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
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Dozen arrested in Belgium during anti-terror raids ahead of country’s soccer game against Ireland in the European Championships
Police officers search a backpack at Antwerp Central train station in Antwerp, Belgium on Saturday.
(Virginia Mayo/AP)Across Belgium parties were being planned Saturday to watch live broadcasts of the country’s soccer team playing Ireland at the European Championships in neighboring France and some media said such events could have been the targets.
Prime Minister Charles Michel said the nation would remain “extremely vigilant, hour by hour,” but that the terror level across the nation would remain at the second-highest level, meaning a threat of an attack “is possible and likely.”
Belgium has been living under such a threat level since the Nov. 22 attacks on the Brussels subway and airport which killed 32.
“It will be the case in the coming hours that we will take additional and adapted measures,” said Michel after a meeting of the nation’s security council. He refused to elaborate on the nature of the threat.
The federal prosecutor’s office said Saturday that homes and car ports were searched in 16 municipalities, mostly in and around Brussels. The statement said there were no major incidents during the raids and that no arms or explosives were found.
It said 40 people were taken for interrogation, of which 12 were arrested, and a judge will rule on their continued detention later Saturday.
“It is not over. We remain under terror alert 3, it means that something is still up,” Interior Minister Jan Jambon said. “Last night, we had a very successful action.”
The prosecutor’s statement said that “the results of the investigation necessitated an immediate intervention,” indicating a violent attack was likely planned in the near future.
Belgian soldiers walk the streets after the dismantling of a new terrorist unit Friday night.
(NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images)At the same time, four top ministers, including Michel, Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens received special protection following unspecified threats.
“We learned about that late yesterday that this close protection would happen. They say there are good reasons for that,” Geens said.
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