Eurabia Alert. “Brussels cancels New Year revelry,” from Sky News:
Traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations in Brussels have been cancelled over heightened fears of a terror attack.
The Belgian capital is on high alert after police detained 14 people on suspicion of helping to plot a jailbreak for an alleged al Qaeda militant.
Last week the government said it believed the suspects were planning to use explosives to attack the city and free inmate Nizar Trabelsi, who is serving 10 years for plotting to a car bomb at an air force base.
Tunisian Trabelsi was arrested just days after the 9/11 terror attacks.
He has denied his supporters were planning attacks and a judge has said the 14 should be released as there is not enough evidence.
But the heightened security measures at the airport and subway stations will remain in place until at least January 3.
The Belgian capital’s Christmas market was supposed to stay open all night on New Year’s Eve but it will now shut at 6pm. The ice rink will close two hours later.
“We’ve reviewed the situation and the conclusion is that there is no reason to scale back the current level of alert,” said Jaak Raes, director general of the government’s Crisis Centre.
“The aim is not to create panic … but to avoid unnecessary risks.”