No end in sight as Brussels lockdown enters day four

On Monday night the Belgian government promised to ease the unprecedented crackdown put in place by the Belgian government as security services hunt a network of local Islamist militants linked to the Paris attacks and suspected of planning a similar operation in Brussels. However, Charles Michel, the prime minister, stressed that the threat remained “serious and imminent”.

Armoured vehicles and soldiers remained deployed throughout the historic centre of the de facto capital of Europe, and at major stations. Most shops, cafes and banks, most government offices, all museums and cinemas were “exceptionally” closed, according to the hastily typed notices pinned to their windows. About 300,000 children did not attend classes or creches, and universities were shut. The metro and its feeder lines were suspended.

Most remain anxious, but some are beginning to doubt the need for such stringent measures. “It seems pretty drastic … But there you go. We’ve got to keep safe, I suppose. So I’ll take the kids to the swings, have a coffee with a friend, then go back home and stay there,” said Augustyns.

Hans Kengen, a startup founder living in the suburb of Woluwe, watched his wife cycle to work on Monday morning at the European commission — which remains open, albeit with a reinforced security regime — and was relieved when she called to tell him she had arrived safely at her office.