The U.S. Embassy in Belgium issued a warning this week of a possible terrorist attack targeting public areas in the country this week.
“Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Belgium. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting, music, and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas,” an alert
posted by the embassy on March 7 reads.
On March 8, the embassy stated that “police have heightened security in response to a threat of a possible metro attack to be conducted today, March 8,” which never came to pass, according to another
statement.
“Continue to be aware of your surroundings and use caution when traveling in and around Brussels,” the statement reads.
It advises Americans to keep a low profile, avoid crowds, and be aware of their surroundings while in the country.
The Belgian Federal Police stated that a terrorist attack is “unlikely” now after the European Commission received two emails that warned of an “explosion” occurring in the Brussels metro," EuroNews
reported.
Belgium’s Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis assessed the threat as being “unlikely,”
according to a spokesperson from the country’s National Crisis Center.
“Additional measures are currently not necessary. The National Crisis Center, in collaboration with all the security services, continues to closely monitor the situation,” the spokesman said.
Belgian police carried out a sweep of the metro on March 8, a spokesperson
told Politico. They discovered nothing suspicious.
According to a report from the Le Soir
publication, citing unnamed security services with the European Commission, the emails allegedly came from an individual who had contacted the European Commission this year. The message from the man, written in Russian, said that “in light of the EU’s continued aggressive policies I hereby warn you of major terrorist attacks on EU territory.”
In 2016, Belgium suffered Islamist attacks that left dozens of people dead at the Brussels Airport and Maelbeek subway station in Brussels. The ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks, while reports state that the assailants belonged to the same terrorist cell that was involved in the 2015 Paris attacks that left even more dead.
On March 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin
accused Ukrainian government forces of carrying out a “terrorist” attack in Russia’s Bryansk region.
“They infiltrated the area near the border and opened fire on civilians,” Putin said. “They saw a civilian vehicle with civilians, with children in it, and they fired on them.”
