Belgium raises terror alert and heightens security

Belgium raised its terrorist alert to three yesterday and an international soccer match was cancelled, as searches continued in Belgium, Germany and France yesterday for suspects linked to Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris.

Seven people were detained in the German town of Alsdorf, near Aachen, close to the Belgian and Dutch border, but German interior minister Thomas de Maizière said that those arrested had no direct link to the suicide bombings and shooting in Paris.

The seven suspects, including at least three foreign nationals, were due to be released last night.

Aachen is about 40km from the Belgian town of Verviers where two suspected terrorists were killed by Belgian forces in January after police foiled a suspected attack.

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the 27-year-old Belgian man who French prosecutors believe perpetrated the Paris bombings, was also believed to be involved in the Verviers incident.

As searches continued yesterday for Salah Abdeslam, a man believed to be one of the terrorists involved in the Paris attacks, it emerged that two Belgian- based men drove him from Paris to Brussels following the attacks.

A lawyer representing one of the men told Belgian media yesterday that his client received a call from his friend Mr Abdeslam two hours after the attacks on Friday night, asking for a lift back to Brussels as his car had broken down.

According to his client, the car carrying the three men was pulled over three times by French police. The two men were named locally as Mohamed Amri (27) and Hamza Attou (21). Mr Amri is believed to be the owner of the Volkswagen Golf seized by Belgian police on Saturday in Molenbeek.

Suspicions

Both were arrested by Belgian police on Saturday and are being held on suspicion of leading a terrorist attack and taking part in the activities of a terrorist organisation. Five others arrested by Belgian police, including Mohamed Abdeslam, a brother of Salah Abdeslam, were released without charge on Monday.

As the search for Salah Abdeslam spanned beyond Belgium and France, Austrian authorities confirmed he had been in the country last month and was checked by border police on September 9th.

The search also continued yesterday for Mr Abaaoud, the man believed to have been responsible for planning Friday night's attacks and a senior Islamic State figure in Syria.

Security in Brussels remained tight yesterday, with armed police patrolling key public spaces including the EU institutions.

Belgium, which has faced criticism for its policing and intelligence capabilities following reports that some of the suspects linked to Friday night’s terrorist attacks in Paris were known to police, announced a €200 million increase in its security budget.

The decision to postpone an international soccer match between Belgium and European champions Spain in Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels less than 24 hours before kick-off, was taken after the country's security alert was raised to three.