Brussels placed on highest terror alert

Belgian officials placed Brussels on the country's highest terror alert Saturday, shutting down all subway lines and deploying heavily armed troops on the streets because of a "serious and imminent threat."

The Level 4 terror alert, issued by the Crisis Centre of the Belgian Interior Ministry, warned people to avoid places where large groups gather, such as concerts, sporting events, airports and train stations, and to be prepared to undergo security checks.

Belgium’s Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters Saturday that the alert was raised “based on quite precise information about the risk of an attack like the one that happened in Paris,” the Associated Press reported.

He said officials fear that “several individuals with arms and explosives could launch an attack ... perhaps even in several places.”

Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur recommended that cafes, bars and discos in the heart of the city close by 6 p.m. but did not make it mandatory.

Since there was no binding order to shut down, some establishments remained open, dispensing beer, Belgian fare like mussels and French fries and good cheer on a cold and clear fall evening.

The Brussels region, particularly the neighborhood of Molenbeek, has been viewed as a hotbed of extremists following the terrorist attacks in Paris last week that killed 130 people.

Authorities are particularly worried about Salah Abdeslam, 26, who is wanted on an international arrest warrant for his role in the Paris attacks. Authorities believe that Abdeslam, who is from Molenbeek, drove a getaway car after the Paris attacks in which his brother, Brahim, blew himself up.

Abdeslam crossed the border only hours after the killing spree but before authorities knew of his alleged connection to the plot.

Abdeslam's childhood friend, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, is the suspected ringleader of the Paris killings. Abaaoud died this week during a police raid on an apartment in a Paris suburb.

In a related development, Turkish authorities said Saturday they had detained three people, including a 26-year-old Belgian, for suspected links to Islamic State extremists, AP reported.

The three were identified as two Syrians and a Belgian identified as Ahmet D., according to the Anadolu news agency. The Belgian was picked up at his hotel near the Turkish coastal city of Antalya, and the Syrians were arrested in a car. They were detained on suspicion of “aiding and abetting” the Islamic State, the news agency said.

The Belgian is suspected of scouting some of the areas in Paris that were hit by terrorist attacks last week, the Dogan news agency reported.

Thousands of American military personnel and their families are stationed in Brussels, which is home NATO's main headquarters. The U.S. Embassy there, which includes a detachment of Marine Corps security guards, is encouraging all American citizens in the city to shelter in place and avoid large crowds at all costs.

A message posted on its website cites the public transit system, sporting events, clubs, restaurants and hotels as places to avoid.

Contributing: Andrew deGrandpre, Military Times