Saturday, April 26, 2025
3:18 PM
Doha,Qatar
RADIATION

Radiation student held over bomb alert in Brussels

A radiation student wearing a coat with wires hanging out triggered a five-hour bomb alert in central Brussels yesterday before police managed to detain him for questioning, police said.
Brussels is on high alert for Belgian national day celebrations taking place today, and remains tense following Islamic State (IS)-claimed suicide bomb attacks at the airport and in the metro on March 22 that left 32 people dead.
Police backed by bomb disposal teams cordoned off part of central Brussels where they surrounded the suspect individual, who aroused suspicion because he had on a long winter jacket on a hot day.
“He was studying waves and radiation. He has just been detained and police will begin questioning him now,” Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere told AFP.
Police said that the “belongings” he was carrying were harmless.
“When the bomb disposal robot moved towards the person under surveillance, he made some very worrying statements that led us to fear that he had explosives on him,” Brussels police spokesman Christian De Coninck told RTL-TVI television.
“He was a student who was going to do his studies in radiation.
“So all the belongings he had on him, which were very suspect, were in fact harmless.”
Photographs in local media showed the man on his knees at gunpoint.
Footage showed troops, police and firefighters in and around the cordoned-off area at Place de la Monnaie, with the streets largely deserted in what is normally a very busy shopping district near the Brussels opera house.
The latest apparent false alarm comes a month after a man with psychiatric problems who was carrying a fake suicide belt full of salt and biscuits triggered a major anti-terror operation at a Brussels shopping mall.
Last week’s deadly Nice lorry attack set off a fresh wave of unease in Belgium and the latest incident, even if it proves to be a false alarm, will add to nerves as the country prepares to celebrate its national day today.
Belgium is the main source per head of population of Islamic militant recruits going from the European Union to fight with IS in Syria, causing deep concern that they will return home battle-hardened and even more radicalised.

Comments
  • There are no comments.

Add Comments

B1Details

Latest News

SPORT

Canada's youngsters set stage for new era

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.

1:43 PM February 26 2017
TECHNOLOGY

A payment plan for universal education

Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education

11:46 AM December 14 2016
CULTURE

10-man Lekhwiya leave it late to draw Rayyan 2-2

Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions

7:10 AM November 26 2016
ARABIA

Yemeni minister hopes 48-hour truce will be maintained

The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged

10:30 AM November 27 2016
ARABIA

QM initiative aims to educate society on arts and heritage

Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.

10:55 PM November 27 2016
ARABIA

Qatar, Indonesia to boost judicial ties

The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.

10:30 AM November 28 2016
ECONOMY

Sri Lanka eyes Qatar LNG to fuel power plants in ‘clean energy shift’

Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.

10:25 AM November 12 2016
B2Details
C7Details