Brussels on alert for a bomb threat

Brussels has woken up this morning of March 8, International Women's Day, covered by a fine blanket of snow and surprised by the announcement of a security alert.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
08 March 2023 Wednesday 03:24
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Brussels on alert for a bomb threat

Brussels has woken up this morning of March 8, International Women's Day, covered by a fine blanket of snow and surprised by the announcement of a security alert. The Belgian police have proceeded tonight to check the metro lines of the capital following the arrival of a letter written in Russian and addressed to the European Commission threatening to commit a terrorist attack if it does not change its policies.

This morning it has emerged that the Belgian Crisis Management Center is evaluating the situation after the community executive informed them of the receipt, yesterday, of a threatening letter, the second in a few days apparently written by the same person. The threat has been taken seriously. Rumors about a possible attack, in some cases specifically mentioning the possible explosion of a bomb on public transport in Brussels, had been circulating since yesterday afternoon with insistence on social networks.

"Our services have taken the threat very seriously," a federal police spokesman told La Libre Belgique, referring to the messages that had been circulating since yesterday. The agents, accompanied by dogs specialized in the detection of explosives, have carried out a sweep operation in key places of the metro network last night and the results have been "negative" but they are still "vigilant". It so happens that since early this morning the STIB, the company that manages public transport in Brussels, has launched less frequent notices on its lines due to "union actions", which has led many users to use the train network that crosses the capital

The OCAM (Coordinating Body for the Analysis of Terrorist Threats) maintains the threat at a medium level. The Crisis Center works in contact with both the federal police and this body and will take "appropriate measures if deemed necessary." The United States embassy in Brussels has just published a security alert in which it advises its citizens to maintain a discreet profile, be aware of what is happening around them and avoid crowds.