Belgium arrests terror plotters

Belgian police have arrested two people suspected of plotting attacks in Brussels during New Year celebrations, just weeks after the jihadist bombings and shootings in Paris were allegedly planned in Belgium. The federal prosecutor's office in Brussels, the home of the EU and NATO, said Tuesday that police seized military-style training uniforms, computer hardware and Islamic State (IS) propaganda material in raids in various parts of the country. But investigators said the police action on Sunday and Monday was not linked to the wave of deadly attacks in Paris in November which were claimed by the IS group and which France says were prepared in Belgium. One of the two was arrested on suspicion of planning attacks as well as "playing a lead role in the activities of a terrorist group and recruiting for terrorist acts," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. The second faced charges of planning and "participating in the activities of a terrorist group," it said. "The investigation cast a light on serious threats of attacks believed to be aimed at several emblematic sites in Brussels and carried out during the end-of-year celebrations." In light of the "serious" threats, Belgium's OCAM national crisis center late Monday raised its alert level for police and soldiers in Brussels, "which could be symbolic targets," said a spokesman. In the last year, the Belgian authorities have deployed troops in addition to police reinforcements outside many locations in Brussels, including EU buildings and foreign diplomatic missions, as fears of jihadist attacks have grown. The two new suspects were arrested during raids in the Brussels area, in the Flemish Brabant area to the north of the capital and near Liege in the eastern part of Belgium's southern French-speaking region of Wallonia. The raids, which were ordered by an investigating magistrate in Brussels who specializes in terrorism cases, turned up neither weapons nor explosives. A total of six people were detained, including the two suspected of plotting attacks, but the four others were later released, the prosecutor's office said. It said investigators were examining seized computer hardware, uniforms and IS propaganda material but declined to release any details about the suspects as the investigation was ongoing. The Belgian authorities are still looking for suspects linked to the November 13 attacks on a Paris concert hall, restaurants, bars and the national stadium which left 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded.