Brussels lockdown to continue for another week

Underground trains and schools could open tomorrow.

The Brussels lockdown is set to continue for another week as the city remains on high alert for potentially imminent attacks.

Army and police have been deployed in full force and some events with large crowds have been cancelled. However schools and the underground train system may reopen as soon as tomorrow.

“Current information suggests that [ISIL], al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions,” a statement on the state department’s website read.

Belgium is on the highest level of terror alert following the attacks in Paris on November 13th. 21 people have been arrested and one person convicted after Belgian police carried out a series of raids on Sunday.

“We have to stress that no firearms or explosives were discovered […] during the raids. Certain elements in the investigation made Sunday’s intervention necessary. The investigation will in any case be relentlessly continued,” Federal prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said.

Salah Abdeslam, who crossed into Belgium the morning after the attacks, is the only fugitive who has been publicly named.

Businesses in Brussels were starting to feel the pain, and while few question the government’s need to protect the public from a potential attack, some shop owners said the shutdown was too extreme. Belgium’s crisis centre said the alert level would only change if a significant breakthrough warranted it.