16 Arrests, Brussels Still on Alert

UPDATE: 11/23/2015 4:23am (10:23am local time) The city of Brussels is still on lockdown.  Raids have resulted in the arrests of more than a dozen suspected terrorists or would-be terrorists.  

It is sunny and 34-degrees Fahrenheit in Brussels.  Schools and business remain closed.

Authorities have asked the media and members of the public from posting police operations on social media.

UPDATE: 11/22/2015 2:26pm (8:26pm local time) Authorities say that Brussels will remain on high alert through Monday.  Schools are closed and the city is still on lockdown.

UPDATE: 11/22/2015 10:40am (4:41pm local time) Brussels remains on "high alert."

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 3:30pm (9:30pm local time) Sporting events scheduled for tonight in Brussels have been cancelled and the city remains on lockdown.

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 1:19pm (7:19pm local time) Authorities are still said to be actively searching for two individuals who may be involved in the planning of a bomb attack in Brussels.

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 1:04pm (7:04pm local time) All restaurants and cafes are asked to close immediately.  A previous request had been made that all eateries be closed by 6:00pm local time.

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 12:08pm (6:08pm local time) The situation is much the same in Brussels.  On social media it is being reported that some stores on the outskirts of town have opened their doors, if only for a few hours, but the city remains on lockdown.

Lasse Thorwesten took this photo in Brussels, Belgium only a few hours ago:

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 10:13am (4:13pm local time) STIB-Officiel, the official transportation service in Brussels, says that the metro will remain closed until at least Sunday, November 22, 2015.

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 10:09am ET (4:09pm local time) The American Embassy in Brussels is telling Americans there to stay home and inside.

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 9:57am ET (3:57pm local time) The United States is issuing an alert for Americans in Brussels.

According to a written statement posted by the United States Department of State:

"The U.S. Embassy in Brussels informs U.S. citizens that Belgium has raised its threat level for Brussels from level 3 (high) to level 4 (imminent attack). For the rest of Belgium, the threat level remains at level 3. The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to shelter in place and remain at home. If you must go out, avoid large crowds. The Embassy will provide further information as received and is available."

UPDATE: 11/21/2015 9:41am ET (3:44pm local time) Stores throughout Brussels remain closed.  Tanks and armed military personnel are on patrol.  It is about a cloudy afternoon and the temperature in Brussels at this hour is about 42-degree Fahrenheit, or about 6-degrees Celsius as law enforcement personnel prepare for nightfall.

Original Story:

A "high terror alert" is in effect for Brussels, Belgium.  Residents are being told to shelter in place.

The metro has stopped running hours ago and there is a strong police presence in the streets.

Authorities say they fear attackers using "guns and explosives."

The Associated Press is reporting that information gathered earlier this week from those captured who were allegedly involved in the attacks in Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015 point to an "imminent" terroristic attempt this weekend.

Authorities are not being more specific at this point but say that the information provided by those arrested was "quite precise" regarding the risk of an attack.

The warning to Belgian residents was given by the Crisis Centre of the Belgian Interior Ministry which is advising residents not to go to large places in the capital where crowds of people gather.

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