Terror threat puts Belgian capital in lockdown

BRUSSELS -- Belgian authorities closed down Brussels' subway system and flooded the streets with armed police and soldiers yesterday in response to what they said was a threat of Paris-style attacks.

The decision to raise the threat alert to the highest level in the Belgian capital came as the manhunt continued for a suspect missing since the carnage in neighboring France. It was taken "based on quite precise information about the risk of an attack like the one that happened in Paris," said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

He said the fear was that "several individuals with arms and explosives could launch an attack . . . perhaps even in several places."

The U.S. Embassy in Belgium urged Americans in the country "to shelter in place and remain at home." The U.S. European Command issued a 72-hour travel restriction for U.S. military personnel on travel to Brussels -- a city of more than 1 million that is home to the headquarters of the European Union, the NATO alliance and offices of many multinational corporations.

Last night, it was quieter than usual in the city center, where restaurants and beer bars would usually be teeming with business. On Brussels' central square, the Grand Place, tourists snapped selfies as a green army truck full of soldiers pulled up next to a lit Christmas tree. Some restaurants and bars shuttered their doors, while others remained open, defying advice from the mayor to close for the night.

Tensions were also high elsewhere in Europe. In Paris, police equipped with emergency powers extended a ban on demonstrations and other gatherings through Nov. 30, when a UN climate conference with more than 100 heads of state is scheduled to start.

Several of the Paris attackers had lived in Brussels, including suspected mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a standoff with French police on Wednesday.

Salah Abdeslam, another suspected attacker, is at large and is known to have crossed into Belgium the morning after the Nov. 13 attacks. A Paris police official and the Paris prosecutor's office said yesterday they had no firm information on Abdeslam's whereabouts, including whether he was in the Brussels area.

Carine Couquelet, the lawyer for a man who rode back to Belgium with Abdeslam, said in a broadcast interview yesterday that her client had said Abdeslam was extremely nervous and may have been wearing a suicide bomb vest.

The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said several weapons were discovered during a search of the home of one of three people arrested in connection with the Paris attacks, but that no explosives were found. It didn't specify when the weapons were found. The three have been charged with "participation in terrorist attacks and participation in the activities of a terrorist organization."

William Bridell, an American living in Brussels, said there was a noticeable difference.

"There's definitely not as many tourists and the Belgians have stayed in," he said. He doubted there would be any attacks with the greater police presence and was on his way to watch a soccer game.

While some restaurant staffers weren't happy about having to shut down on one of the busiest nights of the week, waitress Lourdes Taipe said it was probably for the best.

"It's very bad for the company because we're losing money but we have to do it for the security of the customers," she said.