Brussels keeps highest security alert. Schools, universities, metro will reopen on Wednesday

Belgium maintained the highest – fourth – security alert for Brussels on Monday. The rest of the country stays on the third level, Joinfo.ua reports with the reference to Reuters.

Yesterday, Belgian armed police mounted raids across the country after the prime minister announced a third day of lockdown in the capital for fear a new, Paris-style mass attack may be imminent.

Police said they arrested at least 16 suspects in 19 raids late on Sunday night. But Salah Abdeslam, the 26-year-old French, a suspect believed to have played a key role in the terrorist attacks in Paris 10 days ago, was not among them.

In Brussels metro system and schools will re-open only on Wednesday.

“We are still confronted with the threat we were facing yesterday,” Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference. He said potential targets remained shopping malls, shopping streets and public transport.

“We want progressively to return to normality…. Schools in Brussels will open on Wednesday and the metro on Wednesday as well. For the metro it could be in a progressive way,” – he said.