Bomb alert in Brussels as police arrest terror suspect

Police have descended on the City2 retail centre in the heart of the Belgian capital and taped off surrounding roads.

Officers arrested a man at the scene before a bomb squad were called in amid reports the man was carrying explosives. 

The incident comes a week after anti-terrorism investigators were alerted to the possibility that small groups of ISIS extremists had left Syria for France and Belgium with plans to stage attacks - including at a shopping mall.

'A man was arrested at 5.30 this morning, possibly in possession of explosives. The bomb disposal team of the army is verifying whether this is the case,' a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor said.

The incident began after a report of a man acting suspiciously near the shopping centre triggered a bomb alert.

Belgium's crisis centre, which coordinates security measures, said it was holding a meeting while while Prime Minister Charles Michel has called the incident 'very suspicious'.

Ilse Van de Keere, from the Brussels-Ixelles police added: 'A security perimeter was established and the SEDEE unit [Belgian armed forces] is at the site. The operations are still ongoing.'

The incident comes only days after Belgian authorities charged three men with 'attempted terrorist murder' after raiding dozens of homes linked to a reported threat to fans during a Euro 2016 football game. 

Belgium has been on high alert since November in the wake of the massacres in Paris that killed 130 people, with extra police and military mobilised.

And the country is still reeling from attacks on March 22, when ISIS bombers targeted Brussels airport and subway, killing 32 people.

Today's operation comes a week after police and anti-terrorism investigators were alerted to the possibility that small groups of ISIS extremists have left Syria for France and Belgium with plans to stage attacks.

Belgian intelligence services sent a note to French counterparts about the warning was then sent to police across France, a French security official said.

Belgium's Derniere Heure tabloid reported that Belgium's anti-terror office warned police that fighters with access to weapons may have left Syria about 10 days ago for Belgium and France.

The paper, which said it had obtained an alert message, said fighters travelling without passports were believed to be trying to reach Europe by boat via Turkey and Greece.

A Brussels shopping mall, an American fast-food chain and police could be among their targets, it emerged.

On Saturday, authorities charged three men with terror-related crimes after raids and the detention of 40 people in a major investigation. Authorities said the probe required "immediate intervention" because they feared a new attack was close.

Among those arrested were relatives of the El-Bakraoui brothers, who were among the suicide bombers in March.

More follows.  

(www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3651840/Bomb-alert-Brussels-shopping-mall-evacuated-police-arrest-terror-suspect.html#ixzz4CBwJrcsN)