Le Soir: The Commission received an email about an attack on the subway in Brussels

Yesterday afternoon (7/3) h European Commission received an email, written in Russian, that spoke of an attack on the subway, which is planned for today, notes a report in the newspaper Le Soir.

It is pointed out that this is a threat that is not considered very credible, however it is taken “very seriously” by the authorities as reported by the APE-MPE correspondent in Brussels. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation, the Crisis Center is monitoring the situation and the federal police carried out checks on the subway overnight. At the same time, the patrols are being strengthened, the publication emphasizes.

According to the report of the security services of the European Commission, which was contacted by Le Soir, a man recently contacted the Commission twice by email. The first email on February 16 contained nothing alarming, the second, sent on March 3, was a threatening message that said in Russian: “As the EU continues its aggressive policy, I would like to warn against the launch of mass terrorist attacks on EU soil.” The email ends with a specific threat: “On March 8, the subway in Brussels will be blown up between Yser and Rogier.”

Nothing was found in the checks

The police carried out all the necessary checks. “We have taken this very seriously, we have carried out checks with police dogs capable of detecting explosives which have come back negative, but we remain very cautious. Police agencies are on alert. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to identify the perpetrator(s) of this bomb threat.”

For its part, the US Embassy on Brussels issued a security alert, saying that police have stepped up security in response to a threat of a possible attack on the metro that will take place today, March 8, and calling on citizens to be careful if they are in or near Brussels, to avoid crowds, to keep a low profile, always be aware of their surroundings, monitor local media updates and check the embassy website for the latest alerts and messages to US citizens.

The threat is almost impossible

The Threat Analysis Coordinating Body assesses the threat of an attack on the Brussels metro as “almost unlikely”.

“The Belgian Crisis Center (NCCN) and the security services are constantly analyzing information in order to guarantee security in our country. Therefore any potential threat is taken seriously by the various departments. This is the case of the email that reported a threat of attack today in the Brussels metro. The Threat Analysis Coordination Body (OCAM) has assessed this threat as almost unlikely“, states the relevant announcement of the crisis center in particular.

He adds, however, that “as a precaution police services are on heightened alert on the Brussels metro network. The inspection of the premises, carried out by the federal police, also proved negative. The Coordination for Threat Analysis (OCAM) currently maintains the overall threat level for Belgium at “medium” or level 2 on a scale of 4. No additional measures are currently required. The NCCN, in collaboration with all security agencies, continues to monitor the situation closely.”