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Version 20 Version 21
Threat of 'imminent' Isis attack puts Brussels on lockdown – as it happened Threat of 'imminent' Isis attack puts Brussels on lockdown – as it happened
(30 days later)
5.54pm GMT5.54pm GMT
17:5417:54
Evening summaryEvening summary
We’re about to end our live coverage of Saturday’s events in Brussels. Here’s a summary of what we know:We’re about to end our live coverage of Saturday’s events in Brussels. Here’s a summary of what we know:
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.55pm GMTat 5.55pm GMT
5.44pm GMT5.44pm GMT
17:4417:44
The mayor of Brussels has ordered restaurants and cafes to close at 6pm local time.The mayor of Brussels has ordered restaurants and cafes to close at 6pm local time.
Le bourgmestre de #Bruxelles demande aux cafés et aux restaurants du centre ville de fermer depuis 18h. #rtbfinfo #jtrtbf #niveau4Le bourgmestre de #Bruxelles demande aux cafés et aux restaurants du centre ville de fermer depuis 18h. #rtbfinfo #jtrtbf #niveau4
5.33pm GMT5.33pm GMT
17:3317:33
The US European Command has issued a 72-hour travel restriction on travel to Brussels by all US military personnel as well as civilian Pentagon employees, contractors and command-sponsored family members and dependents. The command said on its website that “for those already in Brussels, everyone is to shelter in place and remain at home”.The US European Command has issued a 72-hour travel restriction on travel to Brussels by all US military personnel as well as civilian Pentagon employees, contractors and command-sponsored family members and dependents. The command said on its website that “for those already in Brussels, everyone is to shelter in place and remain at home”.
Brussels is home to the overall headquarters of the US-led Nato alliance. Nato’s military headquarters, officially known as Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (Shape) is about 45 miles south of the city.Brussels is home to the overall headquarters of the US-led Nato alliance. Nato’s military headquarters, officially known as Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (Shape) is about 45 miles south of the city.
UpdatedUpdated
at 5.37pm GMTat 5.37pm GMT
5.05pm GMT5.05pm GMT
17:0517:05
A Belgian man of Moroccan origin has been arrested in Turkey on suspicion that he scouted the target sites for attacks that killed 130 people in Paris a week ago, a Turkish government official said. The official, confirming a report by the Dogan news agency, said two other men were also arrested.A Belgian man of Moroccan origin has been arrested in Turkey on suspicion that he scouted the target sites for attacks that killed 130 people in Paris a week ago, a Turkish government official said. The official, confirming a report by the Dogan news agency, said two other men were also arrested.
The Belgian, Ahmet Dahmani, was arrested at a luxury hotel in the southern coastal city of Antalya. The 26-year-old had been staying in the resort since Monday, according to the report.The Belgian, Ahmet Dahmani, was arrested at a luxury hotel in the southern coastal city of Antalya. The 26-year-old had been staying in the resort since Monday, according to the report.
4.55pm GMT4.55pm GMT
16:5516:55
La Marseillaise rang around Premier League grounds this afternoon as football players and fans paid their respects to those killed in the Paris terrorist attacks last Friday.La Marseillaise rang around Premier League grounds this afternoon as football players and fans paid their respects to those killed in the Paris terrorist attacks last Friday.
At Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea were hosting Norwich, a large French flag was unfurled as both sets of players belted out the anthem. And it was similar sight at all seven grounds where Premier League matches were being played today.At Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea were hosting Norwich, a large French flag was unfurled as both sets of players belted out the anthem. And it was similar sight at all seven grounds where Premier League matches were being played today.
4.49pm GMT4.49pm GMT
16:4916:49
Special forces have arrested four people who were in a suspicious vehicle at the Place du Grand Sablon in Brussels, according to a report from RTL. Military and local police did not give further details.Special forces have arrested four people who were in a suspicious vehicle at the Place du Grand Sablon in Brussels, according to a report from RTL. Military and local police did not give further details.
4.36pm GMT4.36pm GMT
16:3616:36
Guardian journalist Sarah Butler is in Brussels this weekend and tweets:Guardian journalist Sarah Butler is in Brussels this weekend and tweets:
Waffley good security here in Brussels. I can confirm they were still serving.. pic.twitter.com/zj7NZ8EeF2Waffley good security here in Brussels. I can confirm they were still serving.. pic.twitter.com/zj7NZ8EeF2
4.27pm GMT4.27pm GMT
16:2716:27
Chris JohnstonChris Johnston
Thanks to Damien Gayle for keeping us up to date for the past few hours – I’m taking over for the next stint. Stay with us.Thanks to Damien Gayle for keeping us up to date for the past few hours – I’m taking over for the next stint. Stay with us.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.28pm GMTat 4.28pm GMT
4.22pm GMT4.22pm GMT
16:2216:22
Suspect on the loose has 'been in contact with friends'Suspect on the loose has 'been in contact with friends'
Salah Abdeslam has reportedly been in touch with friends on Skype, telling them he is hiding in the Brussels area and asking them for help in getting back to Syria.Salah Abdeslam has reportedly been in touch with friends on Skype, telling them he is hiding in the Brussels area and asking them for help in getting back to Syria.
The friends, who have spoken anonymously to ABC News, said that Abdeslam had called them on Tuesday evening and told them he was caught between the extensive police search and local Islamic State members who were “watching him”, apparently unhappy that he had failed to detonate his suicide vest after the attacks in Paris.The friends, who have spoken anonymously to ABC News, said that Abdeslam had called them on Tuesday evening and told them he was caught between the extensive police search and local Islamic State members who were “watching him”, apparently unhappy that he had failed to detonate his suicide vest after the attacks in Paris.
According to ABC’s report:According to ABC’s report:
Abdeslam insisted he played only a minor role in the attacks, but his friends said they doubted his claim of innocence. His brother told ABC News that Abdeslam was “manipulated” by the attack mastermind, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, killed in a police raid Thursday in France. Abaaoud and Abdeslam were childhood friends and were arrested when caught in a robbery in 2010, according to an Abaaoud family attorney.Abdeslam insisted he played only a minor role in the attacks, but his friends said they doubted his claim of innocence. His brother told ABC News that Abdeslam was “manipulated” by the attack mastermind, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, killed in a police raid Thursday in France. Abaaoud and Abdeslam were childhood friends and were arrested when caught in a robbery in 2010, according to an Abaaoud family attorney.
The claims appear to chime with a statement made earlier today by a lawyer for Hamza Attou, one of two suspects charged this week by Belgian authorities for allegedly helping Abdeslam return to the country after the attacks.The claims appear to chime with a statement made earlier today by a lawyer for Hamza Attou, one of two suspects charged this week by Belgian authorities for allegedly helping Abdeslam return to the country after the attacks.
She said her client had told her that Abdeslam had appeared agitated in the car as they travelled back to Belgium, and that he was wearing a bulky jacket that could have been hiding an explosives belt.She said her client had told her that Abdeslam had appeared agitated in the car as they travelled back to Belgium, and that he was wearing a bulky jacket that could have been hiding an explosives belt.
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at 4.24pm GMTat 4.24pm GMT
4.07pm GMT4.07pm GMT
16:0716:07
Police are now saying that the three men arrested on Blackfriars Road are suspected car thieves. Why they felt the need to deploy helicopters and armed units, and cordon off the area, is still not clear.Police are now saying that the three men arrested on Blackfriars Road are suspected car thieves. Why they felt the need to deploy helicopters and armed units, and cordon off the area, is still not clear.
A statement from Scotland Yard statement says:A statement from Scotland Yard statement says:
At 13:44hrs on Saturday, 21 November, officers stopped a vehicle on BlackfriarsRoad at the junction with St George’s Circus. The occupants of the vehicle - three men - were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.At 13:44hrs on Saturday, 21 November, officers stopped a vehicle on BlackfriarsRoad at the junction with St George’s Circus. The occupants of the vehicle - three men - were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.
They currently remain in custody at a south London police station. Roads have now reopened.They currently remain in custody at a south London police station. Roads have now reopened.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.31pm GMTat 4.31pm GMT
3.59pm GMT3.59pm GMT
15:5915:59
Meanwhile in France, 12,000 people have marched through Toulouse this afternoon to protest against terrorism, Le Monde reports.Meanwhile in France, 12,000 people have marched through Toulouse this afternoon to protest against terrorism, Le Monde reports.
La manifestation franchit la Garonne sur le Pont des Catalans. #toulouse #LT pic.twitter.com/BiEKGwS3QpLa manifestation franchit la Garonne sur le Pont des Catalans. #toulouse #LT pic.twitter.com/BiEKGwS3Qp
la marche de #Toulouse vient de partir #marchebarbarie pic.twitter.com/a9OFEQ2UPtla marche de #Toulouse vient de partir #marchebarbarie pic.twitter.com/a9OFEQ2UPt
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.24pm GMTat 4.24pm GMT
3.38pm GMT3.38pm GMT
15:3815:38
It looks like the scare in Southwark is over, with the Met saying they don’t believe that the incident is terror-related, according to a tweet from a Channel 4 News editor.It looks like the scare in Southwark is over, with the Met saying they don’t believe that the incident is terror-related, according to a tweet from a Channel 4 News editor.
Met say they don't believe the ongoing incident at #Blackfriars to be terror related, will be reopening road shortly @Channel4NewsMet say they don't believe the ongoing incident at #Blackfriars to be terror related, will be reopening road shortly @Channel4News
One Twitter user has posted a picture of a car he says was at the centre of the scare. He says it has Belgian plates, but the authenticity of the picture is unconfirmed. Other people are saying that the cordons have been removed and traffic is beginning to flow again on Blackfriars Road.One Twitter user has posted a picture of a car he says was at the centre of the scare. He says it has Belgian plates, but the authenticity of the picture is unconfirmed. Other people are saying that the cordons have been removed and traffic is beginning to flow again on Blackfriars Road.
@Hugo_Harrison @Cibarnes. I just saw the last police car drive away and cars are now moving freely down the road.@Hugo_Harrison @Cibarnes. I just saw the last police car drive away and cars are now moving freely down the road.
#Blackfriars now re-opening. It's all over.#Blackfriars now re-opening. It's all over.
UpdatedUpdated
at 4.09pm GMTat 4.09pm GMT
3.22pm GMT
15:22
Scotland Yard has sent a terse statement about apparently still ongoing incident on Blackfriars Road. It says:
At 13:44hrs on Saturday, 21 November, officers stopped a vehicle on Blackfriars Road at the junction with Cambridge Circus.
The occupants of the vehicle - three men - were arrested.
Local road closures are in place.
Enquires continue.
Related: Three men arrested in London as armed police close road
Updated
at 3.27pm GMT
2.57pm GMT
14:57
More tweets are being posted about the unfolding situation in south London, where armed police have cordoned off Blackfriars Road, close to Southwark tube station.
Details of the incident are still unclear and we are waiting for more information from Scotland Yard, but here is what people are saying on Twitter:
"Ongoing incident" at #blackfriars - police have closed multiple roads
At #Blackfriars Road, major incident, armed police. Can't even do my work.
Stuck on a bus near blackfriars, police helicopters going crazy. does anyone know whats going on? #blackfriars #london
#blackfriars #securityalert pic.twitter.com/Whf89OTXoS
2.48pm GMT
14:48
Carmen Fishwick
Brussels is on lockdown, with its metro, shopping centres and public buildings all closed for the weekend. The public has been warned to avoid “places where a lot of people come together” by government officials, and there is a visible army presence on the street.
Guardian readers are sharing their experiences of what it’s like living in a city with warnings of a “serious and imminent” threat of an attack. If you’re in Brussels, tell us what’s happening where you are.
Guardian reader europhoric, is in Molenbeek, the suburb of Brussels which was home to two of the Paris gunmen.
It’s been an interesting experience this week, with news reports on the BBC from outside my metro station and articles in the New York Times mentioning streets I often walk down.
I’m currently at home – the closure of the metro means I’ve had to abandon my plans for the day – watching the news, and can see a police helicopter flying low out of my window. The street is empty save for the occasional passing car.
The sudden attention focused on where I live doesn’t reflect my daily experience of Molenbeek, which is for the most part a fairly quiet part of town albeit with significant unemployment and deprivation. Now the entire city is in a sort of lockdown, with shops and public buildings closed.
I was awoken by a phone call from my employer who is a British official body telling me that our offices may be closed for security reasons next week. Government ministers are now talking about sending police to search every house in Molenbeek in the near future. It’s a strange feeling.
Guardian readers have also been sending in their pictures of soldiers patrolling the streets in Brussels.
Army convoy heading towards center of Brussels
Sent via Guardian Witness
By ThomasThielemans
21 November 2015, 12:01
Terror alert in Brussels
Army presence at Bourse in Brussels city centre
Sent via Guardian Witness
By Graham Peel
21 November 2015, 12:19
Updated
at 3.17pm GMT
2.44pm GMT
14:44
'Security alert' at Blackfriars as police block roads
There seems to be a security alert much closer to home. A tweet warns that armed police are out near Southwark station, just south of the River Thames in London.
My colleagues are investigating this latest incident and we will hopefully have more details soon.
Armed police at "ongoing security alert" around #Blackfriars Road #SE1. Avoid area. pic.twitter.com/0vB0abie7s
Updated
at 2.49pm GMT
2.34pm GMT
14:34
Ian Traynor
Ian Traynor, the Guardian’s European editor, has sent a report from Brussels on the situation there. He writes:
Brussels was blanketed with security on Saturday after the Belgian government raised alert levels on terrorist threats to the maximum, warning of a “serious and imminent” threat of a Paris-style attack involving firearms and explosives.
The city’s metro system was closed down until Sunday afternoon at the earliest as shops closed, shopping malls were partly shuttered, professional football was cancelled, concerts were called off and music venues, museums, and galleries shut their doors for the weekend.
The emergency followed meetings of the national security and counter-terror services late on Friday which concluded, on the basis of undisclosed evidence, that a major attack was being planned in Brussels. The rest of the country was put on an alert one level short of the maximum.
“Following a new assessment, the terror alert level has been raised to level four, very serious, for the Brussels region,” said a government statement. “Analysis shows a serious and imminent threat that requires taking specific security measures as well as specific recommendations for the public.”
Related: Brussels locked down after terror threat level raised to maximum
Updated
at 2.35pm GMT
2.20pm GMT
14:20
Salah Abdeslam may be equipped with a suicide belt, according to Hamza Attou, one of two suspects charged this week by Belgian authorities with allegedly helping Abdeslam return to the country after the Paris terror attacks.
Carine Couquelet, Attou’s lawyer, told Belgian TV channel LCI that her client had said that Abdeslam seemed very agitated in the vehicle that brought him back to Brussels from Paris.
“My client was very scared, they did not talk much and he [Abdeslam] did not mention the presence of weapons, but he wore a kind of big jacket, possibly a suicide belt,” she was quoted as saying by L’Echo.
Updated
at 4.27pm GMT
2.05pm GMT
14:05
The Paris prosecutor’s office says authorities have released seven people detained during a deadly police raid linked to the Paris attacks, Associated Press reports.
Prosecutor’s spokeswoman Agnès Thibault-Lecuivre says the eighth person detained during Wednesday’s operation in an apartment in Saint-Denis remains in custody. Suspect Jawad Bendaoud can be kept in custody up to six days in total under French anti-terrorism laws, before he must be charged or released.
Bendaoud said in televised remarks during the raid that he let people stay in the apartment as a favour and “didn’t know they were terrorists”. Among those targeted in the police operation was the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in the raid.
Updated
at 4.27pm GMT
1.49pm GMT
13:49
Belgium’s interior ministry has published an infographic with information on the measures they are asking people to take in light of the heightened threat of a terrorist attack in Brussels. Here is the English version:
Evaluation of the terror threat - level 4 - Recommandations for the Brussels-Capital Region #Brussels #infographic pic.twitter.com/ArvZvMdzG6
1.43pm GMT
13:43
The Belgian government is asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Salah Abdeslam to call an official hotline and is also asking people to be aware of suspicious packages or behaviour.
Abdeslam, a Brussels resident, whose brother Brahim blew himself up at a Paris bar, is believed to be in Belgium and is the subject of a huge manhunt. Both grew up in the poor Molenbeek district of Brussels, where a cache of weapons was found yesterday, before going to join the Islamic State group in Syria.
A suspect arrested in Belgium on Thursday has been charged with terrorist offences in connection with the Paris attacks. His identity has not been revealed.
1.38pm GMT
13:38
Here are some pictures of central Brussels, where heavily armed police and soldiers are still patrolling the streets after the terror alert was raised to its highest level.
The Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, has told a press conference that the decision to raise the terror alert in Brussels was taken “based on quite precise information about the risk of an attack like the one that happened in Paris.”