Belgian authorities detained two men in connection with a hoax bomb threat which prompted a meeting of the National Security Council and the closure of a number of streets in Brussels city centre on Tuesday morning
Police were called to an incident at City2 shopping centre in the northern part of central Brussels at approximately 5.30 am, after a man phoned police, claiming to be wearing a suicide belt that could be triggered to explode by remote control. The belt was later found to be filled with biscuits and salt.
The man who was arrested was known as “JB” and had “psychological problems” prosecutors said. Born in 1990, he was known to police in connection with an incident in 2014.
Later in the day police arrested a second man, after locating a car that had been identified by the suspect as the vehicle that had transported him to the shopping centre on Rue Neuve. But this also proved to be a false alarm. The driver of the vehicle was released when it was discovered that his claims of the vehicle’s involvement were false.
JB remained in police custody on Tuesday evening, but prosecutors had 24 hours within which to press formal charges and ensure the suspect was given a psychological assessment. The 26-year-old had made contact with the police in June, claiming that he intended to travel to Syria to fight with Islamic State. While an inquiry was opened, no links with terrorism were proven.
The incident, which prompted a massive police and army presence around the commercial and shopping district near Gare du Nord during the morning rush-hour, took place after a wave of arrests in Brussels over the weekend.
On Friday night, police carried out raids of more than 40 houses and hundreds of sites in 16 different communes in the Belgian capital. 12 people were arrested and three people charged following the sweep which took place on the eve of Belgium’s fixture against Ireland on Saturday.
There were unconfirmed reports that suspects had been planning an attack on supporters watching the Belgium vs Ireland game at various points around the city on Saturday.
Local media reported that two of the three people arrested had links to the bombers who attacked Brussels airport and a city-centre metro station in March.
Separately on Monday, police arrested six people in connection with the foiled attack on a Thalys train travelling between Paris and Brussels in August, when a man attempted to attack passengers after boarding the train in Brussels.
Tuesday morning's incident prompted Belgian prime minister Charles Michel to abandon a planned interview on Belgian national radio and convene an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Speaking briefly after the meeting, Mr Michel, said that "for the moment, the situation is under control," though he warned that the security services remain "extremely vigilant."
Belgium remains at a high terror alert level following the March 22nd attacks in the airport and an underground station which left 32 people dead.
