Armed Belgian military guards the streets in Brussels, Belgium, on June 18 , 2016, as the Belgian security council meets and authorities announce the arrest of 40 terror suspects in overnight raids.(Photo: Julien Warnand, EPA)
Belgian authorities, fearing an imminent terror attack, arrested 12 people in dozens of overnight<span style="color: Red;">*</span>raids in a major security operation,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said Saturday.
The federal prosecutor said in a statement that the operation in 16 municipalities was mounted after investigation "necessitated an immediate intervention."
“It is not over. We remain under terror alert 3, it means that something is still up,” Interior Minister Jan Jambon said, according to the Associated Press.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“Last night, we had a very successful action.”
Public broadcaster RTBF said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>some of the suspects were<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reportedly seen driving by car<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the center of Brussels around<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Place Rogier where a giant screen was set up for fans to watch a broadcast of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Saturday's Euro 2016 match<span style="color: Red;">*</span>between Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.
The dozen suspects were among as many as<span style="color: Red;">*</span>40 people rounded up<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in overnight raids mainly in and around Brussels,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
according to the Belgian newspaper<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Le Soir. <span style="color: Red;">*</span>Authorities also examined more than 150 locked-up<span style="color: Red;">*</span>garages.
“It will be the case in the coming hours that we will take additional and adapted measures,” said Prime Minister Charles Michel after a meeting of the nation’s security council. He refused to elaborate on the nature of the threat.
Among the municipalities where the raids took place were<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Molenbeek<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Schaerbeek, two Brussels suburbs<span style="color: Red;">*</span>where suspected terrorists were<span style="color: Red;">*</span>detained<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in recent weeks following the March 22 suicide<span style="color: Red;">*</span>bombings at the Brussels airport and metro system that left 32 people dead.
Belgian media reports four federal ministers,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>including Michel<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Justice Minister Koen Geens, and their families are under increased police protection.
“We learned about that late yesterday that this close protection would happen. They say there are good reasons for that,” Geens said.
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