Belgium terror alert

More arrests in Belgium as terror alert continues

Police find cash but no weapons or explosives in new house searches.

By Maïa de La Baume

Belgian law enforcement officials said Monday that five more people had been arrested following house searches in Brussels and elsewhere on Sunday night as the capital endured its third day in a state of high terror alert.

The federal prosecutor’s office said a total of 21 people had been arrested in police operations since Sunday night and were being “questioned by police.” But the main focus of the manhunt, Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, was not among those detained. The prosecutor’s office said in its statement that no firearms or explosives were found.

Five house searches were carried out in the Brussels region and another two in the eastern Belgian city of Liège, according to the statement. The statement also said “a sum of €26,000 was seized during one of the searches.”

The prosecutor’s office said that on Sunday night “in the Liège region, a vehicle BMW rushed off when pulled over by police for a routine check. The vehicle was identified. Further enquiries showed that there is no link at all with the ongoing operation.”

On Monday, schools, universities and the metro system in Brussels remained closed because of an “imminent and high” risk of terrorist attack as security services continue the hunt for Abdeslam.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Sunday night the decision to extend the state of alert in Brussels, first imposed in the early hours of Saturday, had been taken because of the continued threat of an “attack similar to the one which took place in Paris, with attacks that could be launched simultaneously in several places.”

Heavily armed soldiers and police, backed up by armored cars, patrolled the streets of Brussels from Saturday morning, when the city was put on the highest state of terror alert — level 4.

Large shopping areas and stores were closed, public events and concerts were canceled, and many shops and restaurants also shut their doors to business. Police appealed to the press and users of social media not to divulge details of counter-terrorism operations, to help the effort to capture the suspects,

Brussels residents have been advised to avoid large crowds and places like airports and train stations, and to exercise caution throughout the city. Schools and university campuses were closed Monday, when the national security council will make another assessment of the situation after an update from the Coordinating Unit for Threat Analysis.