The public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into a person who twice threatened with an attack in Brussels. In anonymous emails he sent to the European Institutions, he said he would carry out an attack on the metro and against the LGBTQ+ community in the capital. The attack on the subway was supposed to take place today.
“Last night an email was indeed sent to us threatening an attack on a Brussels metro line,” says An Berger of the federal police. “It had not arrived with us, but was transferred to us by the recipient. We immediately took the threat very seriously and carried out a thorough sweep, which found nothing suspicious. Today there is still heightened vigilance.”
The emails are in Russian. A first email to the European Institutions in Brussels is said to date from February 16. In it, the person threatens with an attack on the metro line Rogier-Yser, along the Brussels small ring road, near the North station. The second email of March 3 is even more specific. Again in Russian, the person says there will be an attack against the LGBTQ+ community.
Although empty threats were initially assumed, the court is now taking this case seriously. “The public prosecutor has started an investigation,” said Willemien Baert, spokeswoman for the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. On Wednesday morning, police officers with explosive-hunting dogs allegedly carried out sweeps on certain subway tracks. “The results are negative. Nothing suspicious has been found,” says Baert.
“Keep low”
The US Embassy in Brussels has also issued a security alert. “Be careful if you are in or near Brussels,” it says, among other things. “Try to avoid crowds, keep a low profile, always be aware of your surroundings and also keep an eye on local media updates,” it says.
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