2015 Brussels lockdown

Last updated

2015 Brussels lockdown
Part of the aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks
Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium.svg
Location of Brussels within Belgium
Type Lockdown
Location
Brussels, Belgium
ObjectivePrevention of an imminent Paris-style attack and capture of fugitive Salah Abdeslam
Date21–25 November 2015

From 21 to 25 November 2015, the government of Belgium imposed a security lockdown on Brussels, including the closure of shops, schools, public transportation, due to information about potential terrorist attacks in the wake of the series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 13 November. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] One of the perpetrators of the attack, Belgian-born French national Salah Abdeslam, was thought to be hiding in the city. As a result of warnings of a serious and imminent threat, the terror alert level was raised to the highest level (four) [6] across the Brussels metropolitan area, and people were advised not to congregate publicly, effectively putting the city under lockdown. [1] [2] [4] [5]

Contents

Impact

On the first day of the lockdown, Haaretz described, "an atmosphere of war. Army convoys passed through the streets. Armored cars were posted at central points, outside the royal palace, and at underground railway stations." [7] Police requested a social media blackout to prevent disclosure of police operations. Twitter users responded with cat pictures [8] (a reference to security level Four, or in French, quatre pronounced cat). [9]

On 23 November, the third day of the lockdown, all schools and universities remained closed along with the Metro. Prime Minister Charles Michel announced that the lockdown measures would stay in place, "for at least another week. But schools and the metro can be reopened gradually from Wednesday." [10] [11] [12]

The lockdown caused disruption to major institutions and organizations headquartered in the city, such as NATO, which removed all non-essential personnel on 23 November, and the European Union, which opened on Monday with reinforced security measures. Belgium's biggest bank KBC Bank entirely closed its headquarters on Monday. [13]

As the lockdown continued into its third day, the BBC described the city as having "come to a standstill." [12] After 5 days, the lockdown was lifted on 25 November, schools reopened and the metro resumed service [14] but some stores remained closed. [15] Like Paris, which saw a drop in tourism, Brussels saw an immediate drop in visitors and an increase in last minute hotel cancellations. [15] Some shops, cafes and hotels that remained open reported 90% to 100% drop in business. [16]

Costs

The lockdown is estimated to have cost €51.7 million per day, counting both the outlay on security and lost business income. [17] Belgium is also facing a demand from the police for a budgetary increment of €100 million to cover ongoing increases in costs due to the terrorism threat. [17]

The total cost was estimated at €350 million, and tourist numbers in December 2015 were down 20% on the previous December. [18] In January, in order to restore the city's reputation after the lockdown, Visit Brussels launched an initiative Call Brussels in which members of the public could call public telephones in the city via their computer. [18]

Arrests and charges

Salah Abdeslam (L) and Hamza Attou (R) captured on CCTV at a French petrol station hours after the attacks. Salah Abdeslam.jpg
Salah Abdeslam (L) and Hamza Attou (R) captured on CCTV at a French petrol station hours after the attacks.

A reported 1,000 police officers were involved in the search for Salah Abdeslam. [19] Over the weekend police conducted at least 20 raids around the city and nearby areas, making 16 arrests but releasing 15 of these people. [20] Belgium's federal prosecutor's office said 23 November that a man had been charged with involvement in the Paris terrorist attacks and for membership of a terrorist organization. [21] On Monday 21 more arrests were made, with 17 released. [20]

On 24 November, evening prosecutors announced terrorism charges had been filed against four men:

Aftermath

King Philippe of Belgium addressed the Brussels lockdown and Paris attack in his annual Christmas Address. He said during his speech, "My special thanks go to all those who have fought for it and continue to work to ensure our safety, to identify the perpetrators of these attacks and to prevent new ones. These events have shown how important it is to invest in the judiciary, police, army and intelligence services. I also want to thank you all, and especially the people of Brussels, for your dignified and responsible behavior during this difficult time." [23]

Precedents

Extended lockdowns of entire urban areas because of terrorism have been rare; the European Union called the Brussels lockdown "unprecedented". [10] [24] The extent of the lockdown went well beyond measures taken the last time Belgium declared a level four alert in 2007. [25] One previous example of a citywide lockdown was the one-day lockdown of Boston in April 2013 as police hunted for the Islamist terrorists responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing. [26] [27] [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molenbeek-Saint-Jean</span> Municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean or Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated by the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, as well as by the municipalities of Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Dilbeek, Jette, and Koekelberg. The Molenbeek brook, from which it takes its name, flows through the municipality. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).

Operation Vigilant Guardian was a Belgian army operation following the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks and the dismantling of a terrorist cell in Verviers having foiled attacks imminent, to deal with the terrorist threat and protect the "points" sensitive territory. The operation was put in place 16 January 2015 and ended on 1 April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Verviers police raid</span>

On 15 January 2015, Belgian police carried out a raid on premises in Verviers, Belgium. According to news sources, the raids were an anti-terrorist operation against Islamist radicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2015 Paris attacks</span> 2015 terrorist attacks in France

A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:16, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, during an international football match, after failing to gain entry to the stadium. Another group of attackers then fired on crowded cafés and restaurants in Paris, with one of them also detonating an explosive, killing himself in the process. A third group carried out another mass shooting and took hostages at an Eagles of Death Metal concert attended by 1,500 people in the Bataclan theatre, leading to a stand-off with police. The attackers were either shot or detonated suicide vests when police raided the theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salah Abdeslam</span> Belgian-born French convicted terrorist

Salah Abdeslam is a Belgian-born Islamic terrorist who was sentenced to life in prison in France in 2022 as the only surviving member of the 10-man unit that carried out the attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015, in which 130 people were killed and more than 490 injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdelhamid Abaaoud</span> Belgian-born terrorist (1987–2015)

Abdelhamid Abaaoud was a Belgian-born Islamic terrorist who had spent most of his life in Syria and was suspected of having organized multiple terror attacks in Belgium and France, and is known to have masterminded the November 2015 Paris attacks. Prior to the Paris attacks, there was an international arrest warrant issued for Abaaoud for his activities in recruiting individuals to Islamic terrorism in Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Abrini</span> Belgian-Moroccan terrorist

Mohamed Abrini is a Belgian Islamic terrorist. On 29 June 2022 he was convicted of involvement in the November 2015 Paris attacks and received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years. In July 2023 he was convicted of terrorist-related murder and attempted murder for his role in the 2016 Brussels bombings, and given a sentence of 30 years.

In late December 2015, authorities in several countries announced the discovery of attack plots, organized by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), targeting New Year's celebrations. Police in North America and Europe were on high alert in December 2015 because of a series of terrorist attacks and attack plots, including the November 2015 Paris attacks, and because of information picked up by security agencies indicating that militants might plan to attack public New Year's Eve celebrations.

On 24 July 2014, a suspected imminent terror attack by Islamic extremists targeting Norway was disclosed by Norwegian authorities. The suspected plot prompted a public terror alert announcement and unprecedented short-term security measures being introduced in Norway in late July.

On 15 and 18 March 2016, Belgian police carried out raids on houses in Brussels. The raids were conducted in connection to the attacks in Paris four months earlier. In the raids, one suspect was killed and five others were arrested, including Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the 10-man unit that carried out the November 2015 Paris attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Brussels bombings</span> Islamic State suicide bombings in Belgium

On 22 March 2016, two coordinated terrorist attacks in and close to Brussels, Belgium, were carried out by the Islamic State (IS). Two suicide bombers detonated bombs at Brussels Airport in Zaventem just outside Brussels, and one detonated a bomb on a train leaving Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station in the city's European Quarter. Thirty-two people were killed and more than 300 were injured. Three perpetrators also died. A third airport attacker fled the scene without detonating his bomb, which was later found in a search of the airport. A second metro attacker also fled, taking his bomb with him. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Najim Laachraoui</span> Belgian-Moroccan terrorist

Najm al-'Ashrāwī, also known as Abū Idrīs al-Baljīkī or Soufiane Kayal, was a Belgian-Moroccan terrorist and Islamic State militant who was one of two suicide bombers at Brussels Airport in the 2016 Brussels bombings. The Islamic State confirmed that he was responsible for making all the explosives used in the November 2015 Paris attacks.

Osama Krayem, also known as Naïm or Naim al Hamed, is a Swedish-Syrian convicted terrorist and mass murderer involved in the 2016 Brussels bombings. He was one of five men arrested on 8 April 2016 by the Belgian police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels Islamic State terror cell</span> Group who carried out Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks

The Brussels Islamic State terror cell was a group involved in large-scale terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March 2016. The terror cell was connected to the Islamic State (IS), a jihadist terrorist organisation primarily based in Syria and Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic terrorism in Europe</span> Islamic terrorist attacks and plots in Europe

Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the jihadist groups Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in reports for the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" for the years 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since then. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".

On 5 October 2016, three police officers were attacked by a man wielding a machete in the Schaerbeek municipality of Brussels, Belgium. Two of them suffered stab wounds, while the third was physically assaulted but otherwise uninjured. The suspected assailant, a Belgian citizen named Hicham Diop, was apprehended and charged with attempted terrorism-related murder and participating in a terrorist group.

This article covers attacks and activity of terrorism in Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Brussels-Central bombing</span> Attempted terror attack in the Belgium capital

On 20 June 2017, a terrorist bomb caused a small explosion at Brussels-Central railway station in Brussels, Belgium; there were no casualties. Soldiers patrolling the station subsequently killed the suspect with three to four shots, according to eyewitnesses. The perpetrator was Oussama Zariouh, a 36-year-old Moroccan national who lived in the Molenbeek municipality and who had assembled a defective explosive device.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Liège attack</span> 29 May 2018 terrorist action in Liège, Belgium

On 29 May 2018, Benjamin Herman, a prisoner on temporary leave from prison, stabbed two female police officers, took their guns, shot and killed them and a civilian in Liège, Belgium. The gunman took a woman hostage before he was killed by police. The attacker had since 2017 been suspected of having been radicalised in prison after converting to Islam, and was reported to be part of the entourage of a prison Islamist recruiter. The method of the attack was said by investigators to match and be specifically encouraged by the Islamic State which claimed the attack. Prosecutors say they are treating the attacks as "terrorist murder". The attack is treated as "jihadist terrorism" by Europol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris attacks trial</span> Trial of the Paris attacks of 13 November 2015

The Paris attacks trial was the trial in Paris, France, of twenty men accused of involvement in the Paris terrorist attacks of 13 November 2015, which killed 130 people and injured hundreds. The ten-month trial was the longest criminal trial in French history and took place in a specially built courtroom inside the Palais de Justice before five judges presided over by Jean-Louis Périès. The court sat for 148 days between 8 September 2021 and 27 June 2022. Verdicts were delivered on 29 June 2022. Nineteen of the twenty defendants were found guilty of all charges and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four years to full-life. One defendant was found guilty of fraud but not terrorist involvement and sentenced to two years imprisonment. In France the trial is also known as V13 as the attacks took place on Friday the 13th.

References

  1. 1 2 "Brussels in lockdown after terror threat level is raised to maximum". The Guardian. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Brussels shutdown as manhunt for Paris fugitive Abdeslam continues". BBC News. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Paris attacks: Brussels on high alert". BBC News. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  4. 1 2 Higgins, Andrew; de Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko (21 November 2015). "Brussels Placed at Highest Alert Level; Subway Is Closed". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 Jamieson, Alastair; Winter, Tom; Akyavas, Aziz; Lavanga, Claudio (21 November 2015). "Brussels on Terror Lockdown Amid Threat of Paris-Style Attack". NBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Lasoen, Kenneth (2017). "Indications and warning in Brussels. Brussels is not Delphi". Journal of Strategic Studies. 40. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1288111. S2CID   157685300.
  7. ↑ Papirblat, Shlomo (21 November 2015). "Terror Alert Turns Brussels Into a Dead City on War Footing". Haaretz . Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  8. ↑ Rogers, Katie (23 November 2015). "Twitter Cats to the Rescue in Brussels Lockdown". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Tutt, Phillip; Pramuk, Jacob (23 November 2015). "Brussels lockdown: Highest alert level maintained". CNBC. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  10. 1 2 Burke, Jason (23 November 2015). "Brussels to stay in lockdown 'for at least another week'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  11. ↑ Höchste Terrorwarnstufe in Brüssel verlängert , zeit, 23 November 2015
  12. 1 2 "Brussels lockdown: How is city affected by terror threat?". BBC. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Doyle, Ian Wishart; Dara, John Martens (23 November 2015). "Brussels Extends Lockdown as U.S. Issues Terror Alert". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Escritt, Thomas (26 November 2015). "Brussels lockdown ends but manhunt goes on". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  15. 1 2 Lenzo, Krysia (25 November 2015). "Brussels eases lockdown, but businesses are still suffering". Cnbc.com. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  16. ↑ MARIA CHENG The Associated Press. "Brussels security lockdown hits businesses | The Salt Lake Tribune". Sltrib.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  17. 1 2 Cerulus, Laurens (30 November 2015). "The cost of the Brussels lockdown: €51.7 million a day". Politico . Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  18. 1 2 Rankin, Jennifer (9 January 2016). "Safe to talk? Brussels invites foreigners to call city and chat to locals". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  19. ↑ Kiko Itasaka (23 November 2015). "Brussels Lockdown: 1,000 Cops Hunt Paris Suspect Salah Abdeslam". NBC News.
  20. 1 2 "Brussels lockdown: Highest alert level maintained". CNBC. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Drozdiak, Natalia; Steinhauser, Gabriele; Brussels, Valentina Pop in; Paris, Noemie Bisserbe in. "Suicide Vest Is New Clue in Terror Manhunt as Brussels Extends Lockdown". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  22. ↑ Pop, Valentina; Fairless, Tom (24 November 2015). "Manhunt Expands to Include New Suspected Accomplice in Paris Attacks". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "King Philippe of Belgium's Christmas Eve Speech – English Translation". Gert's Royals. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "European press responds to 'unprecedented' Brussels events". BBC News. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Brussels deserted as terrorist manhunt widens". CNBC. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "This Is What It Looks Like When the Police Shut Down a City". The Atlantic Wire. 19 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  27. ↑ "A Town Under Siege: Watertown Residents Describe Life Under Lockdown". Time. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  28. ↑ "Boston faces lockdown as police hunt for marathon bombing suspect". The Guardian . 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.