This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brussels-bomb-alert-at-city-2-shopping-centre-sparks-evacuation-anti-terror-operation-a7092716.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Brussels: Bomb alert at shopping centre sparks anti-terror operation | Brussels: Bomb alert at shopping centre sparks anti-terror operation |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A shopping centre in central Brussels has been evacuated following a security alert over a man feared to be wearing a suicide vest. | |
| Bomb disposal units and the emergency services were working at the closed City 2 complex in the Belgian capital, local media reported. | |
| Belgium’s RTL broadcaster quoted sources saying police had been warned the man was wearing an “explosives belt”. | |
| The alarm was raised at 6am (5am BST), causing Prime Minister Charles Michel to cancel a television appearance for a crisis meeting. | |
| A suspect was arrested at the scene. A security source told Reuters he was not found to be carrying explosives. | |
| Rogier Metro station and surrounding roads were temporarily closed as a security cordon was established around the shopping centre while the operation continued. | |
| Belgium has been on high alert since Isis’ attacks on Paris in November, when several of the militants were traced to Brussels. | |
| In March, bombings at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek Metro station killed 32 people, and there have been reports of several further plots. | |
| Dozens of people were arrested in raids on Friday night on reported intelligence that they were planning an imminent attack the Belgian capital as people watched the national team’s Euro 2016 match against Ireland on Saturday. | |
| Three men were detained on charges of “attempting to commit terrorist murder” and participating in the activities of a terrorist group, believed to be Isis. | |
| A new suspect, named as Youssef al-Ajmi, also arrested in connection with the Brussels attacks last week as investigations into a suspected network of supporters continues. | |
| On Monday, a series of house searches were also carried out relating to the attack on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris on 21 August 2015, resulting in six arrests. | |
| No one was killed in the incident, when passengers tackled the gunman to the ground after he opened fire with an assault rifle and pistol. | |
| Abdelhamid Abaaoud, an Isis fighter and suspected ringleader in the Paris attacks, was linked to the attempted massacre. |