By Marine Strauss
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium’s crisis centre said on Wednesday that an attack on the Brussels metro was unlikely, after EU institutions and international embassies warned their employees of bombs threats in central Brussels.
Federal body OCAM, which analyses risks to the country, added in a statement that police had carried out a security sweep of the metro as a precaution.
While the Brussels prosecutor opened an investigation, the general threat level for Belgium remained at 2 on a scale of 4.
Belgian daily Le Soir said the European Commission informed the police on Tuesday afternoon of an email written in Russian and referring to an attack in the metro planned for Wednesday, March 8.
The U.S. embassy in Belgium also warned its citizens on its website, advising people to avoid crowds and to use caution when travelling around Brussels.
Other institutions, such as the European Parliament asked its staff to remain vigilant and avoid the metro, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.
In March 2016, Brussels was the target of a twin attack that hit the airport and Maelbeek metro station at rush-hour, killing 32.
(Reporting by Marine Strauss; Editing by Alex Richardson)
