Belgium raised the alert status for its capital Brussels to the highest level on Saturday, shutting the city's metro and warning the public to avoid crowds because of a "serious and imminent" threat of an attack.
A week after the Paris attacks carried out by Islamic State militants, of whom one suspect from Brussels is at large and said to be highly dangerous, the city was placed on the top level in the Belgian government’s threat scale after a meeting of ministers, police and security services.
“The advice for the population is to avoid places where a lot of people come together like shopping centres, concerts, events or public transport stations wherever possible,” a spokesman for the government’s crisis centre said.
Eoin Keane, from Co Clare, and who has been living and working in Brussels for the past three months, said there is a feeling of confusion among residents.
“At the moment, one is very much dependent on news stories and Twitter to keep up to date on what is going on.
“Social media has definitely informed us of what isn’t running. I think there is a bit of confusion at the moment - the threat level was raised and metro closed, but nobody is sure what the reason was.
“The message is clear - to avoid shopping centres, crowded places, the metro, etc, and I think people are in general accepting of this,” Keane said.
He said he walked home from work today and while the streets are not deserted, they are not as busy as they would usually be on a Saturday.
“There is heavy police and army presence. Sirens are much more commonplace also - this is something I have noticed in the past few days,” he said.
Eoin said the city was “eerie” in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks but that Brussels had returned to normal until today.
“The night of the Paris attacks, the city was eerie. I met with friends in the city centre and silence had descended on the city- the streets emptied.
“In the past few days, it has slowly gotten back to normal, although there are far more soldiers and police officers - the majority of them armed - on the streets,” he said.
“People are a bit more hesitant too, I suppose - my colleagues noted that people were more reticent on the metro.
“However, life has gone on - today is the first day I have noticed the streets this empty.
"They cancelled the friendly against Spain last week, and this annoyed people, but I think people understand that these are exceptional times and accept it."
Keane said people in Brussels are trying to go on with their daily lives as much as possible since the Paris attacks.
“I think it’s very hard to gauge how people feel, but I think there are certain signs of defiance.
“Yesterday, a parade which runs through the city centre was cancelled, but many university students gathered together and partied and had their own unofficial celebration.”
“I was in a bar last night and people were writing messages of support for Paris - ‘Love and Peace Forever’ on the fogged-up windows. Life has continued as normal, even as there were raids going on in Molenbeek,” he said.
Place Lux
Keane said he was in the Place Lux on Thursday - where many interns and young professionals go for an after-work drink - and the army presence was a bit disconcerting.
“I spoke with one of the soldiers, and he explained that Brussels has around 500 soldiers on duty - which is a marked increase.
“I have heard of people deciding not to go to Place Lux or to concerts because they are afraid of the threat,” he said .
Eoin said he was able to make it to work today but could not take the metro because it was closed.
“Apparently you can be searched by the police on the street, but I didn’t see that happen.
“As usual, there are a lot of rumours - that there has been an attack, that the city is shutdown- this is, as far as I know, not true,” he said.
He said that while some establishments have closed, it is business as usual in the city.
“I noticed some businesses - my gym, for example - had closed. Most shops and restaurants, however, seem to be open.”
He said that if the metro remains closed next week, it will have a major impact on commuters.
“There are bus and tram systems, but the metro is by far the most popular method of public transport.
“Naturally, people are changing their plans and not going out tonight etc, so businesses will be affected,” he said.
Eoin said that, despite today’s announcement, he is not fearful for the future.
“Those who threaten us want us to be fearful, to change our routine. I will continue on as usual - otherwise they have won.
“I feel really strong about this; there are so many good Muslims living in Brussels - and in particular in the area I live in - that I won’t let suspicion or fear get the upper hand.”