Paris attacks: 16 arrests in Belgium - as it happened

Police handoutCopyright: Police handout

Several Belgian media outlets are carrying reports that Salah Abdeslam, the suspected Paris gunman on the run from police, was spotted by police in Liege on Sunday but escaped in a black BMW.

The reports said Abdeslam headed in the direction of Germany on the E40 motorway and managed to avoid a police checkpoint.

Belgian authorities have not confirmed the reports, saying only that the fugitive was not among those arrested on Sunday and remains at large.

But if Abdeslam did escape police in Liege, it will be the second time he has slipped the net. He and two others were stopped at a French roadblock on the morning after the attacks, near the Belgian border, but were allowed to proceed by officers unaware of Abdeslam's alleged involvement in the attacks.

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Belgian prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt thanked social media users for heeding a police request not to share information about ongoing anti-terror operations, to avoid tipping off suspects.

When police issued the request on Sunday, social media users responded in style by tweeting thousands of cat pictures instead, flooding the #BrusselsLockdown hashtag.

Speaking at a press conference earlier, Mr Van Der Sypt said police "want to thank the press and social media users because they took the need of this operation into account".

Buzzfeed has compiled some of the best of the cat tweets here.

Special forces at work on Sunday in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, where the Paris attacks are thought to have been planned.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Eric van der Sypt, of the Belgian Prosecutor's Office, said it was not immediately clear if the person injured in a car which drove at police in Sint Jans Molenbeek was linked to the Paris attacks.

Police fired at the car during the incident, and it was eventually stopped in the centre of Brussels.

• Belgian police carred out 22 anti-terror raids - 19 raids in the Brussels area and three more in Charleroi
• 16 people were arrested - none were named by police
• Salah Abdeslam, suspected Paris assailant, remains at large - unconfirmed Belgian media reports said he was spotted by police in Liege but managed to escape in a BMW
• No weapons or explosives were found during the raids
• Police fired two shots at a car that approached a roadblock during an operation in the Molenbeek district of Brussels - the wounded driver was later arrested
• Brussels remains on the highest state of alert
• A judge will decide tomorrow whether those arrested will be kept in custody.

Belgium's federal state prosecutor, Frederic Van Leeuw, says the investigating judge will decide on Monday about the possible further detention of those arrested this evening.

Belgium's federal state prosecutor, Eric Van Der Sypt, told the news conference that two shots were fired when a vehicle ran into police who were searching a snack bar in Sint Jans Molenbeek.

No weapons or explosives were found during the searches in Brussels and Charleroi on Sunday, Mr Van der Sypt said.

The press pack waiting for the Belgian prosecutor.

Journalist have gathered in Brussels, where it it is now past midnight, for a news conference to be given by the Belgian federal prosecutor.

Police with a detainee this evening in Brussels.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

According to one Belgian paper, police may have spotted top fugitive Salah Abdeslam in a BMW near the Belgian town of Liege, driving in the direction of Germany, but failed to stop him. "If it was indeed Salah", La Libre adds.

The city's maximum state of alert has been extended amid a continuing terror alert connected to the deadly Paris attacks of 13 November. Prime Minister Charles Michel said schools, universities and the capital's metro would remain closed on Monday. 

The threat level remains high in the rest of Belgium. Mr Michel said police and army units would be further strengthened in Brussels. The maximum alert was introduced on Saturday, leading to the closure of many shops, cafes, and public buildings. 

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Brussels police will give details of their operations in the city later this evening, local media report.

Searches being conducted in Brussels are over - AFP news agency, quoting unnamed source close to the Belgian authorities.

Brussels is the seat of both the European Commission and Nato, of course. Both say they will be open for business on Monday.    

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller says there will be tight security at the Davis Cup tennis match between Belgium and the UK, to be played in Ghent on 27-29 November.

Belgians have posted pictures and videos of cats using the hashtag #BrusselsLockdown in an attempt to bury tweets about police anti-terror operations in the city.

It follows a police request for journalists to stop tweeting operational details.

Away from the city centre, heavily armed police commandos have carried out an operation in the suburb of Molenbeek, where some of the Paris attackers lived.

EPACopyright: EPA

EPACopyright: EPA

Belgian opposition MP George Dallemagne, who represents the Brussels area, has explained to the BBC why he supports the government's decision to maintain the highest state of alert in the city. 

Quote Message: The threat is still very high and the risk is still very important. So I think yes, of course, we don't have to take any risk, especially for the kids, because the schools will be closed tomorrow, which is really very, very exceptional. It's unseen since World War Two.

The threat is still very high and the risk is still very important. So I think yes, of course, we don't have to take any risk, especially for the kids, because the schools will be closed tomorrow, which is really very, very exceptional. It's unseen since World War Two.

Quote Message: So it's really historical. I've never seen my city like that. And it's amazing to see that the capital of Europe can be blocked and that all the life can be stopped by a few individuals.

So it's really historical. I've never seen my city like that. And it's amazing to see that the capital of Europe can be blocked and that all the life can be stopped by a few individuals.

Armed officers and soldiers have been conducting several operations in Brussels this evening in response to the threat of an attack, a police spokesman told AFP.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

An undated photo provided by Joseph Anticevic shows his wife Armelle Pumir Anticevic aboard one of his cruise boats, named after her. The 46-year-old mother of two children, aged 9 and 11, died at the rock concert in the Bataclan theatre in Paris. She and her husband had gone there to celebrate. He survived. 

APCopyright: AP

The European Council has increased its alert state to orange and has cancelled most non-essential meetings scheduled for Monday.

In a statement, it said:

Quote Message: As a result of the increase in alert state, the Presidency of the Council, in consultation with the GSC, has decided to cancel the majority of non-essential meetings scheduled to take place tomorrow in the council building.

As a result of the increase in alert state, the Presidency of the Council, in consultation with the GSC, has decided to cancel the majority of non-essential meetings scheduled to take place tomorrow in the council building.

Quote Message: However the EYCS Council, the Eurogroup, and a limited number of senior officials meetings will take place as planned.

However the EYCS Council, the Eurogroup, and a limited number of senior officials meetings will take place as planned.

BBC correspondent Christian Fraser tweets that the bendy bus that was blocking a road near the Grand Place has been removed.

Brussels police have asked journalists in the city not to tweet about the police operation under way in the centre.

BBC journalists are on the scene in central Brussels, where a police operation is reportedly under way.

People in Brussels are tweeting about an ongoing police operation in the city centre.

Le Soir newspaper has a photo of a bus being used to block a street.

Some people say they have been escorted out of restaurants and there are reports of a threat to police stations.

Mary Katharine Phillips, an American student in Brussels, says all her classes at university on Monday have been cancelled.

She told the BBC:

Quote Message: I'm trying not to be scared, but of course it's very hard. Everyone is really giving in to the hype. I'm American and the American embassy is constantly updating us so it's hard not to be afraid.

I'm trying not to be scared, but of course it's very hard. Everyone is really giving in to the hype. I'm American and the American embassy is constantly updating us so it's hard not to be afraid.

Quote Message: It's very hard not to think about but I'm trying to stay positive. It's been shocking - over a week and we still don't know what's going on, who to be afraid of exactly, what the situation is.

It's very hard not to think about but I'm trying to stay positive. It's been shocking - over a week and we still don't know what's going on, who to be afraid of exactly, what the situation is.

Eurostar tweets that passengers who are booked to travel to Brussels on Monday can postpone their trip for free because of heightened security.

The train company says it will run a full service tomorrow.

State of emergency notwithstanding, life in Paris is returning to a semblance of normality nine days after the attacks. Here a newly wed couple pose for photos on the Place de la Concorde.

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French police are investigating the recent theft of medical protective clothing from a hospital in Paris, the Paris public hospital administrator says - Reuters. 

The disappearance of a "limited number" of "protective clothing elements" from the Necker hospital was discovered on Wednesday, the administrator is quoted as saying.  

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said after the Paris attacks that France faced the risk of chemical or bacterial warfare in its fight against Islamist militants. 

A police operation is under way near the Grand Place in Brussels, the broadcaster RTL tweets.

Police are telling people to keep away from windows, it says.

A little more on that French police appeal for information about the "third suicide bomber" at the Stade de France. While his identity remains unknown, police believe he was registered as a migrant on the Greek island of Leros on 3 October, along with a fellow bomber, who has also still to be identified.

The flagship of the French navy, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, is in the eastern Mediterranean, ready to begin air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria from Monday. An AFP news agency team on board took these photos today.     

AFPCopyright: AFP

AFPCopyright: AFP

AFPCopyright: AFP

AFPCopyright: AFP

Universities and further eduction colleges in Brussels will also be closed on Monday along with the city's schools, the Belgian PM Michel said.

Creches are not included in the measures, he said.

The authorities are doing all they could to restore normal life to the city, he added.

"The threat remains serious and imminent in Brussels," Prime Minister Michel said. 

He accepted the government's decisions would "complicate economic and work life" but said it had to "assume its responsibilities". 

Mr Michel says the rest of the country will remain on a slightly lower level of alert - 3/4.     

The metro system for the Belgian capital will remain shut on Monday - Belgian PM.

Schools in Brussels will be closed on Monday - Belgian PM.

Quote Message: The public squares of Belgium's capital city are largely empty. Most people in Brussels have obeyed their government's instruction to stay away from crowds.

The public squares of Belgium's capital city are largely empty. Most people in Brussels have obeyed their government's instruction to stay away from crowds.

Quote Message: Some have gone to smaller shops and cafes. A regular Sunday outing has now become a small act of defiance against fear.

Some have gone to smaller shops and cafes. A regular Sunday outing has now become a small act of defiance against fear.

Quote Message: Life may only return to normal once the police catch the plotters they're looking for.

Life may only return to normal once the police catch the plotters they're looking for.

AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty

Among the most immediate issues facing investigators are   

1. The whereabouts of surviving suspect Salah Abdeslam and his exact alleged role on 13 November 
2. The whereabouts of attack "ringleader" Abdelhamid Abaaoud - killed on Wednesday in Saint Denis - at the time of the attacks   
3. The identity of three of the attackers killed in Paris and the third body found after the police raid in Saint Denis  

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Freelance cycling journalist Paul Maunder has been at the World Cup cyclo-cross race in West Flanders, Belgium, which has gone ahead with an increased security presence. He writes:

"This winter branch of cycle racing is hugely popular in Belgium. Crowds of up to 40,000 pay to see their idols race through mud, sand and snow. The course here runs through a military base which also uses its barracks to house Syrian refugees. 

"Before the race there were rumours that the American team were not being allowed to ride by their embassy. But the Americans are all here, the lager is flowing and the Belgian crowd is as enthusiastic as ever. Their hero Sven Nys has just won, so there is a great deal of singing to his honour as they leave the venue past the row of armed policemen."

Paul MaunderCopyright: Paul Maunder

Paul MaunderCopyright: Paul Maunder

Belgium's prime minister will hold a news conference at 1800 GMT (1900 local time)

French police commandos fired 5,000 bullets in Wednesday's raid on an apartment building in the Parisian suburb of Saint Denis, where the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks was staying. There were also explosions.

These pictures from inside the building show the ferocity of the fire exchanges between the police and suspects inside.

ITV News via APCopyright: ITV News via AP

ITV News via APCopyright: ITV News via AP

ITV News via APCopyright: ITV News via AP

ITV News via APCopyright: ITV News via AP

ITV News via APCopyright: ITV News via AP

Few people have been venturing out in the Belgian capital as security forces patrol the streets and squares.  

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AFPCopyright: AFP

APCopyright: AP

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AFPCopyright: AFP

Salah Abdeslam remains on the run. His brother Brahim blew himself up in the Paris attacks. What is known of the two brothers? Read more here for details of the men who were said to enjoy drinking, smoking and good clothes, and did not appear to be fanatics. 

APCopyright: AP

Floral tributes have grown outside Le Petit Cambodge restaurant in Paris. More than 100 shots were fired at the venue on the night of 13 November, leaving 15 people dead and 15 severely injured. 

Email Message: I am an American graduate student living in Brussels. Yesterday I stayed at my house just to avoid any risk. Today, as I was walking to the local supermarket on Rue Royal, a main street in Brussels, I felt ready to run at any moment. 

I made eye contact with many people that passed me on the street. I couldn't help but think that many war-torn regions of the world go through a constant anxiety like this every day for years.    

from William Alston

I am an American graduate student living in Brussels. Yesterday I stayed at my house just to avoid any risk. Today, as I was walking to the local supermarket on Rue Royal, a main street in Brussels, I felt ready to run at any moment. 

I made eye contact with many people that passed me on the street. I couldn't help but think that many war-torn regions of the world go through a constant anxiety like this every day for years.    

The Guardian's Jason Burke - author of several books on Islamic militancy - says recent attacks have succeeded in creating a climate of fear.

The current cycle of militancy "could last for decades", he writes, but the balance of power will shift between the jihadists and the authorities.

Quote Message: At the moment there is a tactical stalemate in Syria and Iraq. Isis is able to endure, if not expand.

At the moment there is a tactical stalemate in Syria and Iraq. Isis is able to endure, if not expand.

Quote Message: The gap that has opened up between the threat posed by Western Isis volunteers and the resources devoted to countering the threat they pose has made Western nations vulnerable.

The gap that has opened up between the threat posed by Western Isis volunteers and the resources devoted to countering the threat they pose has made Western nations vulnerable.

Quote Message: All this is likely to change in coming years and we can be reasonably confident that the balance of power will swing away again from the extremists, as in previous cycles.

All this is likely to change in coming years and we can be reasonably confident that the balance of power will swing away again from the extremists, as in previous cycles.

You can see a clip of the interview with Salah Abdeslam's brother Mohamed here, as he appeals for him to hand himself in. 

If Salah Abdeslam really did decide against blowing himself up in Paris then he has become a target for the so-called Islamic State as well as for the European authorities, his brother Mohamed Abdeslam's lawyer Nathalie Gallant has told BFMTV.

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The Belgian broadcaster RBTF has been speaking with Mohamed Abdeslam - brother of Salah, now the subject of a manhunt, and Brahim, who blew himself up in the Paris attacks.

Mohamed said there had been a slight change in their behaviour about six months ago, but the family did not see it as a cause for alarm.

Quote Message: When your brother begins to pray, it's not automatically a radicalistic change. When your brother tells you he stopped drinking, it's not a radicalistic change… For us, these men just wanted to calm down and to show more respect in their practice of religion.

When your brother begins to pray, it's not automatically a radicalistic change. When your brother tells you he stopped drinking, it's not a radicalistic change… For us, these men just wanted to calm down and to show more respect in their practice of religion.

Mohamed said his brothers had been manipulated rather than radicalised - "that's the reason we didn't notice anything" - and said Salah must have had second thoughts during the attack.  

Quote Message: It's more than my hope, it's my belief. Salah is a very clever man. I think that, at the very last moment, Salah decided to move back. Maybe he saw or heard something that he didn't expect. And he decided not to see the plan through.

It's more than my hope, it's my belief. Salah is a very clever man. I think that, at the very last moment, Salah decided to move back. Maybe he saw or heard something that he didn't expect. And he decided not to see the plan through.

Mohamed - who was living with his brothers before the Paris attacks - was initially taken into custody but later released. He repeated his call for Salah to turn himself in, saying his family and the families of the victims needed answers.  

Mohamed Abdeslam, the brother of Salah Abdeslam, has again urged the fugitive to give himself up. 

He said that he would rather see his brother in prison than in a cemetery.

He told RTBF television that he believed his brother was still alive. 

The attacks on Paris this month were a strike against France’s joie de vivre, The New York Times says, while "the siege of Kenya’s gleaming Westgate mall two years ago was an assault on that country’s rising prosperity, modernity and stability". 

Likewise the terrifying attack on the Radisson Blu in Mali’s capital was a strike on that nation’s fragile efforts to restore peace after years of fighting, according to the newspaper.

It asks: "But in all of these places, the same fundamental question applies: How does a democratic society protect itself from a few determined extremists who can upend an entire nation with a single devastating strike?"

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Police and the security forces kept a close eye over key buildings in Brussels on Sunday, including the city's train station.

French intelligence passed on to Germany details of five meticulously planned bomb attacks - including three at a stadium, one at a bus stop and one at a train station in Hanover – on the same night last week (17 November) that  Germany cancelled their football friendly against the Netherlands, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported.

A source quoted by the newspaper says that "the threat is still big" and that Germany faces the same problem as France with local jihadists returning from Syria.

APCopyright: AP

The AP news agency has stories of those who were at the Bataclan concert hall on the night of 13 November. 

It says that a police commissioner and his driver got to the venue before more elite teams, having learned from the police radio that they were near the site. 

According to AP: "The commissioner charged inside, traded fire with a gunman, and took him out of action before retreating so that special-operations teams could assemble.

"It was a key action that slowed the pace of carnage, and may have saved scores of lives."

The agency says the commissioners is still recovering from shock. 

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The Belgian government has set up several crisis call centres to provide information about the current security level in the Brussels region.

BBC sports editor Dan Roan says the British Davis Cup tennis team has delayed their departure to Belgium. 

The final, between Britain and Belgium, is due to take place on Friday. 

Earlier, the Sunday Telegraph had reported that the team was determined the match should go ahead, despite security measures being taken in Brussels. 

APCopyright: AP

Eagles of Death Metal, the US rock band whose fans were targeted in the Paris attacks, have spoken about the tragedy that saw 89 people killed at their gig.

All of the band were safe following the attack, but members of the crew and friends were among the victims at the Bataclan theatre.

Frontman Jesse Hughes told Vice people who hid in their dressing room had all been killed "except for a kid who was hiding under my leather jacket".

You can read our full story here.

The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's officer says a review of the security situation in Brussels - and across the country - is being carried out this afternoon. 

An announcement will be made at 17:00 local time on whether or not to continue with the security lock-down for the capital, said the BBC's Europe reporter Gavin Lee. 

He said: "The maximum security alert will remain in place in the meantime, as Belgian police and security services hunt for suspects linked to the Paris attacks and those said to be planning a similar atrocity in Belgium. 

"A spokesman for the Belgian Federal Prosecutor added that there was no information that explosives had been found during a raid in the city over the weekend, despite reports in the Belgian media, though weapons were found in one raid on a property in the city."  

Journalist Bert Ryman, who works for Belgian broadcaster VRT, says the government has some difficult decisions to make.

"It's one thing to close down a city, if you want, for a weekend but it's another very much more bigger problem if you do that for a Monday morning when a lot of people are having to go to work," he said.

"I heard about a lot of companies emailing their staff saying that if the threat level would still be [at the highest level] and if, for instance, the subway station would not be functioning tomorrow morning, people are advised to stay at home, to work from home." 

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

A Belgian soldier and police officers stand next to a military armoured vehicle parked at the entrance of Brussels central train station.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that the UN will present a comprehensive plan of action to defeat violence and extremism by early next year, Reuters reports. 

Security chiefs have issued a private warning to the British government that its counter-terror forces must be significantly boosted if they are to cope with a Paris-style terrorist attack, The Observer reports.

It says the message has been delivered to Chancellor George Osborne ahead of a strategic defence and security review, to be announced by Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday. 

The Observer says that senior officers have stressed the importance for the UK Treasury to make a U-turn in the wake of the atrocities in Paris and the growing threat from IS. 

"Visit Brussels,"encourages a sign in Place Flagey. But there are very few people around to read it.

Normally, the square would be full of stalls for the Sunday market. But the security alert has forced the market to shut. Today, the square is largely empty - disturbed only by occasional joggers cutting through to the park.

Next to the square, a handful of people waited for the number 71 tram.

"I'm not scared," said Michel, a retired civil servant, "If the country could survive the 1940s, we can surely get through this."

APCopyright: AP

The Paris prosecutor's office have extended the detention of Jawad Bendaoud (above), the man who rented his apartment to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, until Monday.

Under French law, this is the maximum extension he can receive in terrorism-related investigations. Seven others arrested last Wednesday when the apartment in Saint Denis was raided have already been released.  

More from President Obama. 

Quote Message: The United States will continue to lead this global coalition, we are intensifying our strategy on all fronts, with local partners on the ground.

The United States will continue to lead this global coalition, we are intensifying our strategy on all fronts, with local partners on the ground.

Quote Message: We are going to keep on rolling back Isil in Iraq and in Syria, and take out more of their leaders and commanders so that they do not threaten us, and we will destroy this terrorist organisation.

We are going to keep on rolling back Isil in Iraq and in Syria, and take out more of their leaders and commanders so that they do not threaten us, and we will destroy this terrorist organisation.

AFPCopyright: AFP

US President Barack Obama says the US and its allies will not relent in their fight against Islamic State militants. 

Speaking in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Obama said the global coalition would ultimately destroy IS - taking back the land they control, cutting off their finances and hunting down their leaders. 

He urged all nations to send a signal that the world would continue to do business and would not succumb to fear. 

Quote Message: The most powerful tool we have to fight Isil is to say that we're not afraid, to not elevate them to somehow buy into their fantasy that they're doing something important.

The most powerful tool we have to fight Isil is to say that we're not afraid, to not elevate them to somehow buy into their fantasy that they're doing something important.

Quote Message: They're a bunch of killers.

They're a bunch of killers.

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Britain plans to increase the number of fighter jets it can launch from new aircraft carriers as it seeks to boost its military attack capabilities, Chancellor George Osborne tells the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"We are going to step up the aircraft carrier punch of the United Kingdom. We are going to make sure that when these aircraft carriers are available they are going to have planes that can fly from them in force," Mr Osborne said.

Asked if he would rule out police cuts, he said: "Every public service has to make sure it is spending its money well." 

The chancellor said the counter-terrorism budget was being increased and more money would be spent on defence.

Islamic State (IS) militants have issued a new video which claims that recent French strikes on the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa hit civilian buildings without causing any casualties.

The video issued on 22 November was released by IS's so-called "Al-Raqqa Province" in French and Arabic. It showed footage of two buildings that were extensively damaged.

The video claimed that the buildings housed "the Central Administration of Bakeries" and a "medicines warehouse".

The militant in the video also vowed revenge against France for the airstrikes - and that the Paris attacks were "just a warning" aimed at telling the French that "we can reach you anywhere".

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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has told the BBC that the Paris attacks made him temporarily doubt the presence of God.

Quote Message: Saturday morning, I was out and as I was walking I was praying and saying: 'God, why - why is this happening? Where are you in all this?' and then engaging and talking to God.

Saturday morning, I was out and as I was walking I was praying and saying: 'God, why - why is this happening? Where are you in all this?' and then engaging and talking to God.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned that a chemical or biological attack "was among the risks" facing his country - and that all possible precautions to avoid such a scenario had been taken, AFP reports.

He said French authorities were not ruling anything out in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Brussels this morning was a city with few people on the streets - apart from the security forces.

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ReutersCopyright: Reuters

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

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UK shadow chancellor John McDonnell says it is unlikely that military action alone would end the threat from Islamic State militants.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "This isn't a war like the Second World War, where you fight against an enemy in one terrain, you defeat them, they sign a peace treaty and that's it. 

"I think Isil... basically they're encouraging the UK and US to get involved in a war in the Middle East again, because it plays to their narrative of crusader invasion. 

"And remember if we did defeat Isil in some form, they have another army and that army we've seen is located in most of our capital cities."

The Syrian city of Raqqa was once a bustling town - but it has now been transformed under the "brutal rule" of Islamic State militants. 

The New York Times has compiled an interactive tour of the city, which it describes as the de facto capital of so-called Islamic State.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Paris also remains on alert, with armed police and soldiers visible at the city's main airport and in other key places. 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that he has urged Russia and the US to co-operate on defeating terrorism, Reuters reports.

"All these terrorists and ideology extremists should be defeated in the name of humanity," he said at the annual East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur. "In that regard, we need to unite."

He called for "global solidarity" to address the "common enemy".    

APCopyright: AP

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon says authorities are not just looking for Abdeslam. 

"It involves several suspects and that is why we have put in place such exceptional measures," the Belga news agency cited Mr Jambon as telling Flemish television. 

"We are following the situation minute by minute. There is no reason to hide that. There is a real threat but we are doing everything possible day and night to face up to this situation."

French jets will be able to launch air strikes on Islamic State targets from an aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean from Monday, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. 

Transport authorities in Brussels say the city's metro system is remaining closed "as a precaution". 

They had previously said the network would remain closed until at least 15:00 today. 

In a Facebook post, STIB said they would decide on a "day by day basis" - and in consultation with police and other authorities - when the stations would reopen.

Buses and trams are running, but some trams have been affected by the measure.

Residents - and tourists - in Brussels have been speaking to the BBC about the atmosphere in the city.

Headteacher Helen Bracegirdle-Brown said "everyone is on edge" following the raised terror alert.

And Chris Foreman, who is spending the weekend in Brussels on a city break with his girlfriend, had this to say: 

Quote Message: We hope nothing happens and that life in Brussels, and the rest of Europe, can go on as normal.

We hope nothing happens and that life in Brussels, and the rest of Europe, can go on as normal.

Members of US rock band Eagles of Death Metal, who were playing at the Bataclan in Paris when terrorists launched an attack, have given their first interview about the experience. 

Lead singer Jesse Hughes said: "A great reason why so many were killed was because so many people wouldn't leave their friends. 

"So many people put themselves in front of people."

The interview with Vice News will be released in full next week.  

The BBC was out talking to people on the streets of central Brussels last night - you can watch the video report here.

"People here may be able to cope with a quiet weekend, but tomorrow, this European capital has to wake up and work," BBC reporter Simon Clemison said.

The centre of Brussels was almost empty on Saturday night because the terror alert prompted restaurants and bars to shut early.

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AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty

AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty

Friends of Abdeslam have told ABC News they have spoken to him on Skype. They described him as being caught between the European authorities searching for him and members of the so-called Islamic State who are "watching him" and are unhappy he did not detonate his suicide vest.

His brother Mohamed, who lives in Brussels, has urged him to hand himself in to police. He believes Abdeslam "is not far away", he added. 

Our live coverage now resumes, as Brussels remains on the highest terror alert level and the manhunt for Salah Abdeslam, wanted in connection with last week's Paris attacks, continues.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has said there was "quite precise information" that "several individuals with arms and explosives" could launch a Paris-style attack. 

The Belgian government is to review the situation in Brussels this afternoon. 

We'll be bringing you the latest developments as they happen. You can also find details on our main story here.

This brings to an end our live coverage of today's developments in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. All the latest on the lock-down in Brussels over fears of an attack there can be found in our main news story. Thank you for following our updates.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

While Brussels was at a standstill due to a terror alert, workers raised a Christmas tree at the Grand Place. 

Workers raise a tree in an empty square in Brussels.Copyright: Workers raise a tree in an empty square in Brussels.

Shakespeare & Co. became a hiding place during the terror attacks on Paris.

Like other shops and restaurants in Paris, the shop shuttered its doors with customers inside, until they decided it was safe.

"We are safe in a bookshop, with the windows blacked out," Harriet Alida Lye wrote to The Guardian, during the attacks. "There are about 20 customers with us who've been [sitting] here for hours, calling home.

"I haven't seen anything but police cars go by and people stumbling out of bars in central Paris who clearly have no idea what is going on." 

Bookseller Rose Alana Frith told BuzzFeed those hours are unforgettable. 

“Surrounded by a medley of familiar and previously unknown faces in the darkened stairwell, as events unfolded, I felt comforted.”  

Shakespeare & Co. is an English-language bookstore that opened in 1951 and became a second home to American writers - including Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway - in Paris.

The Brussels mayor has asked cafes and restaurants in the city centre to close at 18:00 (17:00 GMT)

Police in Brussels are hunting at least two men, one of whom has an explosive device like those used in the Paris attacks, Belgian media say.

Police commandos have arrested four people who were in a suspicious vehicle at the Place du Grand Sablon in Brussels, RTL reports, quoting the Belga news agency.

No further information has yet been provided by the authorities.

More than 10,000 people in Toulouse, France, marched on Saturday in solidarity with Paris.

The crowd walked in silence behind a banner calling for freedom and peace, and condemning barbarism.

"It is a silence of contemplation, but also determination," said Bernard Dedeban, one of the organisers of the march.

The march was the second this week in Toulouse. The city was the target of a terrorist attack in 2012, which killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a teacher and three soldiers.

Fugitive Salah Abdeslam is hiding in Brussels and desperately trying to get to Syria, friends who say they spoke to him on Skype have told ABC News.

Abdeslam's brother Mohamed confirmed that the friends had told him about their Skype contact with his brother, ABC reported.

"I believe he is not far away," Mohamed Abdeslam said, urging his brother to turn himself in.

Salah Abdeslam's friends told ABC he was caught between European authorities hunting him and so-called Islamic State members who were "watching him" and were unhappy that he had not detonated his suicide belt.

The friends said Salah Abdeslam had told them he had only played a minor role in the Paris attacks, but said they did not believe him.

Some locals are making unusual use of the Belgium lockdown Saturday. Twitter user @RichTweeting posted a photo of a couple posing for a wedding portrait while soldiers stand on guard.  

"Weddings in Brussels are a bizarre affair these days," he said.

The US embassy in Belgium has urged Americans in the country "to shelter in place and remain at home".

In a statement on its website on Saturday, the embassy said: "If you must go out, avoid large crowds."

Americans should "exercise caution" in all areas of Brussels, the embassy said.

Brussels is home to the headquarters of the Nato alliance and the offices of many US and foreign companies.

US Embassy in BelgiumCopyright: US Embassy in Belgium

Hacking group Anonymous has published a guide on how to attack accounts of the so-called Islamic State, after declaring war on them last week.

It gives instructions for inexperienced hackers and also explains how to protect anonymity. 

Anonymous say they have taken down more than 8,000 so-called IS accounts so far.

The Brussels transport authorities say the metro and tram network will remain closed until at least 15:00 on Sunday.

The BBC's Europe Editor Katya Adler says Belgium's interior minister wants house-to-house checks in the western Brussels district of Molenbeek.

Molenbeek has a large ethnic Moroccan population and has been dubbed a hub for jihadists. Its poverty, social exclusion, high rate of unemployment and weak political leadership have been highlighted as problems, too. 

You can read more about the Belgian connection to the Paris attacks here.

The fugitive Salah Abdeslam had a suicide belt on after the Paris attacks, a lawyer for one of the men who drove him to Belgium has told Belgian TV.

Hamza Attou was in the car with Salah Abdeslam and has told his lawyer Carine Couquelet that Abdeslam was extremely agitated during the journey.

Ms Couquelet said her client had told her he appeared to have a large jacket and may have been ready to blow himself up.

She said this raised questions, including whether Salah Abdeslam may have been supposed to blow himself up during the Paris attacks but had second thoughts.

The car carrying him was stopped by police three times on the journey from Paris, she said, but the cursory nature of the identity checks meant officers did not notice anything untoward.

Sir Richard Branson urged people not to judge all Muslims - almost a quarter of the world's population - based on the actions of a few jihadists.

"Social media is abuzz with the angry comments of those who are trying to blame the global Muslim community for the deadly events of Paris. Others have been stoking fears that the wave of refugees trying to escape the horrors of war and oppression in Syria is really just a Trojan horse for the passage of travelling jihadists. 

"We wouldn’t blame all Americans for the past actions of the Ku-Klux Klan. But it seems some people have no problem judging every woman riding the tube in a hijab to be a terrorist."  

A Brussels resident has some advice for fellow citizens. And he is using the social media to draw attention to a message written in an old-fashioned way - on his window pane! 

Cities across Europe are discussing how to ensure security at their annual Christmas markets, some of which have already opened.

In Strasbourg, France, the 445-year-old Christmas market will not include events for children, according to The Wall Street Journal. Police foiled a plot to bomb it in 2000, the newspaper says.

Paris has reopened its market on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Zurich railway station market is open, but with increased police presence.

Germany has by far the largest number of Christmas markets in Europe - about 2,500 - drawing 50 million visitors.

France has more than 250 Christmas markets and eight other countries have between 10 and 50.

On Thursday Pope Francis said the Christmas spirit risked sounding hollow in a world that has chosen "war and hate".

Quote Message: Christmas is coming. There will be lights, there will be parties, trees all lit up and Nativity scenes. ... [It is] all a charade. The world continues to be at war. The world has not chosen a peaceful path. from Pope Francis

Christmas is coming. There will be lights, there will be parties, trees all lit up and Nativity scenes. ... [It is] all a charade. The world continues to be at war. The world has not chosen a peaceful path.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The BBC's James Reynolds has tweeted a panaromic view of the Grand Place in Brussels, which he says continues to be visited by tourists. Click on his tweet for the full view.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Belgium's Crisis Centre has published advice for people in Brussels. 

It asks residents to avoid crowded areas and gives hotline numbers, including one dedicated number for information about Salah Abdeslam, who is wanted over the attacks in Paris.

London's Telegraph newspaper has spoken with an American who survived the 9/11 attacks and the Bataclan massacre in Paris.

The 36-year-old man, known only as David, said he instantly recognised the sound of gunshots and ran for the exit. 

“Perhaps it’s my American culture,” he told the newspaper.

David was shot in the leg but was able to crawl towards the exit each time the killers stopped to recharge their Kalashnikovs.

Quote Message: I inched forward centimetre by centimetre. At one point, I saw the ledge of the exit at arm’s reach. I was able to grip it with one finger, then the other.

I inched forward centimetre by centimetre. At one point, I saw the ledge of the exit at arm’s reach. I was able to grip it with one finger, then the other.

David was below the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001 when one of the towers was struck by an airliner.

Quote Message: I sprinted across half of Manhattan. But what I went through in the Bataclan was 1,000 times worse.

I sprinted across half of Manhattan. But what I went through in the Bataclan was 1,000 times worse.

Paris police have extended a ban on demonstrations and other gatherings in the region until the end of the month.

There are also extra security concerns around the arrival of more than 100 heads of state for UN climate talks due to begin on 30 November.

A march by environmental groups scheduled for 29 November has been cancelled.

Police are also requiring all major concert venues to install special security measures. 

A nationwide state of emergency has already been extended for three months.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Among those remembering victims of last week's Paris attacks yesterday was Christophe Naudin. 

He had been at the Bataclan with his friend Vincent Detoc when the militants entered the concert venue. 

Here, he is holding a photograph of his friend, who was one of the 89 people killed there. 

The so-called Islamic State and Saudi Arabia - in its struggle against terrorism, the West wages war on one, but shakes hands with the other, Kamel Daoud writes in the New York Times.

"This is a mechanism of denial, and denial has a price: Preserving the famous strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia at the risk of forgetting that the kingdom also relies on an alliance with a religious clergy that produces, legitimises, spreads, preaches and defends Wahhabism, the ultra-puritanical form of Islam that Daesh (Islamic State) feeds on."  

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

It was a Saturday with a difference today on the streets of Brussels - with the security forces mingling with Christmas shoppers.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Father-of-three Stephane was among those held hostage by militants who attacked the Bataclan theatre in Paris, killing 89 people. 

He has told the BBC about his two-and-a-half hours with the attackers.

Read his story here.

Quote Message: Concerts are a pleasure for me, it's an important part of my life. Will I be able to go to a concert soon? I can't answer that now.

Concerts are a pleasure for me, it's an important part of my life. Will I be able to go to a concert soon? I can't answer that now.

Quote Message: I can hear noises, even in my own apartment, that make me jump. I'm looking at people on the tube and in the street a bit differently.

I can hear noises, even in my own apartment, that make me jump. I'm looking at people on the tube and in the street a bit differently.

Quote Message: But I think it's important to overcome it and continue to live. So that's what I'm pushing myself to do.

But I think it's important to overcome it and continue to live. So that's what I'm pushing myself to do.

The American envoy to the international coalition fighting the so-called Islamic State group says the Paris attacks have galvanised world opinion and military efforts will intensify in response. 

Brett McGurk told the BBC that Kurdish and Arab groups in northern Syria were preparing to advance with the help of US special operations troops. He said the aim was to isolate the IS stronghold of Raqqa.

"We're cutting [them] off, we're going to isolate it and we're going to suffocate and ultimately strangle them," he said.  

EPACopyright: EPA

Armoured vehicles and heavily armed police and soldiers patrolled key landmarks, intersections and subways in the Belgian capital today. The city was unusually quiet in the face of a government security alert. 

A Turkish official quoted by the AP news agency says that the man suspected of scouting out targets for Islamic State ahead of last week's attacks in Paris is thought to have been in contact with the attackers.

Ahmet Dahmani, 26, reported to be a Belgian man of Moroccan origin, was arrested at a hotel in Antalya.

Anderlecht's game at Lokeren in the Belgian first division has been postponed amid fears of an attack.

The decision to call off the game was taken by the mayor of Lokeren.

A statement from the Pro League said the Lokeren-Anderlecht match was postponed as "security cannot be guaranteed". 

Anderlecht are the only Brussels-based team in the league. 

The day's other matches in the Pro League will take place as scheduled.   

No football matches will take place in Brussels, where people have been told to avoid crowds. 

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Reuters reports on the story of a nurse who discovered that a man he was trying to save was one of the Paris bombers. 

David explained that following what he thought was a gas explosion in the Comptoir Voltaire cafe, he began CPR on a man who appeared to be unconscious. 

But when he tore open the man's shirt, he saw wires.

“The first wire I saw was red. I think that was the detonator,” he said. “There was something at the end.”  

The man was Brahim Abdeslam, the only person to die at the cafe.

“[Later] I was thinking about how I lay him on the floor, with me doing CPR," said David. "It’s a pretty vigorous process. By just doing that, I also could have been gone." 

APCopyright: AP

French police have released seven people who were arrested during the huge raid on a Saint Denis apartment where the ringleader of the Paris attacks was killed, prosecutors have said. 

Jawad Bendaoud (above), who at the time admitted lending the apartment to two people from Belgium "as a favour" but denied knowing anything more, remains in custody.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

"We are exceptionally closed," says a sign posted in a shop inside Brussels' Gare du Midi train station, "Be safe ..."

Armed police officers patrol the station's main concourse. One squad checks passengers' bags. Two officers escort away a drunk man who's come in search of cigarettes.  

At 12.08pm, the Eurostar from London arrives. At the arrival gate, a young woman is embraced by her mother who smiles and says she will take her daughter home as quickly as possible in order to stay safe. 

The arriving passengers also include a group of British men on a stag weekend. They say they didn't want to cancel their plans. They head boisterously out into the city.

Along one of the city's main shopping streets, shops are open. Rows of security guards guards the front doors. 

I write these words from a table in a half-empty fast food restaurant. Two well-armed soldiers in camouflage uniform are standing a metre away from me, just inside the front door. 

EPACopyright: EPA

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders says that the metro has been closed today because the government is "preserving the most at-risk places". 

"We know that the metro is particularly vulnerable," he said.

Prime Minister Charles Michel said earlier that given the high number of users of the metro and given the high resources it takes to run it, "the recommendation has been made to stop it until Sunday afternoon", when a new assessment will be made.

Police authorities in Paris have extended a ban on demonstrations in the centre of the capital and surrounding departments to 30 November, Le Parisien newspaper reports.

EPACopyright: EPA

An underground parking lot in one of the busiest parts of Brussels remained empty today.

Most shopping centres in Brussels are closed today, with reports of at least one, the Woluwe shopping centre in the east of the city, being evacuated.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Professor Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told the BBC's Tom Burridge there were "new tactics on the part of the so-called Islamic State". 

"We are seeing a major shift on the part of Islamic State, away from Syria and Iraq and, in particular, towards foreign targets and the heart of Europe," he said. 

He said European governments needed "iron-clad security in terms of prevention". 

But he added that it was important not to "play into the hands" of the militant group.

Quote Message: We must not exaggerate the security risk. We must not be in fear of our lives - that is exactly what they are trying to do.

We must not exaggerate the security risk. We must not be in fear of our lives - that is exactly what they are trying to do.

Quote Message: If you ask me what is the strategic message of the so-called Islamic State, I would say they want to instil fear. They want to terrorise European and Middle-Eastern societies - whether Beirut or Paris - that's what they want.

If you ask me what is the strategic message of the so-called Islamic State, I would say they want to instil fear. They want to terrorise European and Middle-Eastern societies - whether Beirut or Paris - that's what they want.

Quote Message: We must not allow them to do so. We must live our lives normally and find ways and means to prevent radicalisation that has taken place in many societies.

We must not allow them to do so. We must live our lives normally and find ways and means to prevent radicalisation that has taken place in many societies.

The Le Soir live page reports: "La Librairie Filigranes bookstore, located in the Avenue des Arts in Brussels, which is normally open 7 days a week from 7 to 7, has decided to close its doors today following the terror threat. 

"It is on the advice and insistence of the Brussels mayor, Marc Yvan Mayeur that, Mark Filipson, the owner of the busiest bookstore in Brussels, has decided to keep the establishment closed. 'Ideologically, I cry,' he told us, [having been] forced to yield to an attack on our values."

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Military vehicles and troops could be seen on the streets of Brussels today, as this picture taken this morning shows. 

Investigators found weapons at the home of a person charged on Friday with terrorism offences related to last week's attacks in Paris, the Belgian prosecutors' office has said in a statement. 

The statement said that neither explosives, nor a suicide belt, had been found during the search. It did not give details of the weapons that had been found. 

Could the tap water of the people of Paris be a potential target in the event of a chemical or bacteriological attack? The threat is being taken very seriously by Eau de Paris, the public company that co-ordinates water production, storage, and distribution to three million users in the capital, the French daily Aujourd'hui en France has reported.

It says that six water storage sites of vital importance in Paris are being "closely watched, sealed and protected". 

In addition it says that chlorine levels in water supplies are being boosted to help identify and offset bacteriological contamination. 

"The water is always chlorinated for health reasons, but the dose injected has been raised,” Eau de Paris President Celia Blauel was quoted as saying. “When the chlorine level drops, it means there is biological contamination.”  

Islamic State (IS) militants have created "the most potent propaganda machine ever assembled by a terrorist group", The Washington Post says, "with powers that extend beyond the borders of the caliphate".

Paris attacks mastermind Abdel­hamid Abaaoud's appearances in "a barrage of Islamic State recruiting videos and statements makes clear that IS is not merely out to inflict terror on an adversary but also to command a global audience", the paper says.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has announced a series of operational measures to be implemented in Brussels following the decision to raise the alert level, Le Soir reports.

The measures include cutting the number of big events, tighter security on the public transport system, especially on the metro, boosting the number of police and soldiers, especially in Brussels, and the setting up of a hotline (1771) for members of the public to call in emergency.

Here's some more detail on the UN Security Council's unanimous decision to adopt a resolution to "redouble" action against so-called Islamic State. 

The French-drafted document urges UN members to "take all necessary measures" in the fight against the militant group. IS has said it carried out the attacks in Paris. 

The UN Security Council called on member states to "eradicate the safe haven" IS and other militant groups have established across parts of Iraq and Syria.

The UN resolution 2249 also condemns recent attacks in Sousse, Tunisia, and Ankara, Turkey. 

Read the full story here.

AFPCopyright: AFP

All metro stations in Brussels have been closed today, after Belgium raised the capital's terror alert to the highest level with warnings of an "imminent threat".  

APCopyright: AP

Belgian soldiers patrol next to flowers left outside of the French Consulate in Brussels.  

From the moment the Paris attacks investigation began, it was clear that Belgium was central to the story and the Brussels area of Molenbeek its focal point.  

The BBC's Paul Kirby takes a look at the Belgian connection to the Paris attacks. You can read his report here.

French authorities have identified all of the victims of the 13 November attacks. Many of them were young concert-goers who had been attending a gig at the Bataclan. 

This page lists details of all of the victims for whom the BBC has details at this stage. 

The Belgian French-language newspaper Le Soir says a sports centre and a swimming pool have been evacuated in Etterbeek municipality, Brussels. 

Another report says a concert by French singer Johnny Hallyday at Palais 12 has been cancelled. 

French President Francois Hollande will meet British Prime Minister David Cameron in Paris on Monday, his office has said. 

The leaders will discuss the fight against terrorism and the Syrian crisis. 

Hollande is also due to meet US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the week. 

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

A Belgian soldier in Brussels stands near a poster for Le Soir weekly news magazine showing a photograph of the Paris attack that reads: "We are at war".

Charles Michel said the fear was that "several individuals with arms and explosives could launch an attack... perhaps even in several places".   

But he told the press conference: "We urge the public not to give in to panic, to stay calm.

"We have taken the measures that are necessary."

The Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has just held a press conference.

He said that the decision to raise the terror alert was "based on quite precise information" of the risk of attack.

The government will review the situation on Sunday afternoon, he added.

Last night marked a week since the Paris attacks. 

Crowds gathered near the sites where terrorists struck, with many heading to the Place de la Republique to remember the victims. 

Dozens of French artists and cultural figures had urged people to make a lot of "noise and light" at 21:20 local time (20:20 GMT) to mark the exact time the attacks began. 

Here are some of the pictures from the scene: 

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

EPACopyright: EPA

APCopyright: AP

AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon says the country's situation is "serious'' but under control, with the nation at its highest state of alert - level 4/4.

Mr Jambon told reporters as he arrived for a special security cabinet meeting that "the situation is serious", adding: "Otherwise we would not go to level 4, but the situation is under control."

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Belgian soldiers stand guard outside the Radisson Blu hotel in central Brussels today.

A hotel belonging to to the same group was attacked in the Malian capital Bamako on Friday, killing 19 people.

The British Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Britons visiting Belgium in the light of the raised terror threat in Brussels. 

The advice cautions against visiting crowded places

Asia-Pacific leaders meeting in Malaysia today have condemned the series of Islamic extremist attacks from Paris to Mali, urging an international effort to fight the scourge. 

Prime Minister Najib Razak of Muslim-majority Malaysia strongly denounced the ideological justification for violence claimed by militants. 

"The perpetrators of these cowardly and barbaric acts do not represent any race, religion or creed," he told fellow Southeast Asian leaders. "They are terrorists." 

The Molenbeek district of Brussels has been thrust into the international spotlight following the Paris attacks, with Belgian authorities carrying out a series of raids searching for key suspects thought to have lived in the area. 

Two of those arrested have been charged with terrorist offences. 

This has led to Molenbeek being labelled as a jihadi haven - but some residents say that is an unfair description. 

The BBC's Alex Forsyth has taken a look at the area - you can read the report here.

Here's some more from our correspondent James Reynolds, in Brussels.  

Quote Message: Right now, the city is reasonably quiet. There's traffic on the main roads. Soldiers in camouflage uniforms stand outside big hotels.

Right now, the city is reasonably quiet. There's traffic on the main roads. Soldiers in camouflage uniforms stand outside big hotels.

Quote Message: The government won't say what - precisely - has caused it to raise the threat level.

The government won't say what - precisely - has caused it to raise the threat level.

Quote Message: But many will believe it has something to do with the search for Salah Abdeslam - one of the gunmen who attacked Paris last week.

But many will believe it has something to do with the search for Salah Abdeslam - one of the gunmen who attacked Paris last week.

After a string of attacks in recent years linked to its grimy streets in central Brussels, a key question arises, the AP news agency says: Why Belgium? 

The tiny nation renowned for beer, chocolates and the comic book hero Tintin is now suddenly notorious for Islamic extremism - and the ready availability of illegal weapons, AP says.

Thee are other factors too: Belgium has a central location in Europe; few border controls; a common language with prime jihadist target France; and a political divide between French and Dutch speakers that has long created bureaucratic disarray in justice and security, AP says  

The Belgian government has recommended the cancellation of professional soccer games scheduled over the weekend, and that the 19 communes that make up the Brussels region consider canceling all other major events due to take place, AP reports.

APCopyright: AP

Patrols had already been taking place in Belgium in light of last week's Paris attacks. This picture shows soldiers from the Belgian army walking among members of the public in the Grand Place, Brussels, on Friday. 

EPACopyright: EPA

Belgium's interior minister, Jan Jambon, is among ministers who have arrived at an extraordinary State National Security Council in Belgium this morning, after the terror alert status was raised to the highest level. 

Belgian authorities have so far charged three people with involvement in the attacks.  

Turkish police have detained a man suspected of scouting out target sites for IS ahead of last week's attacks in Paris, Reuters is reporting, citing the Dogan news agency. 

 Ahmet Dahmani, 26, a Belgian man of Moroccan origin, is said to have been detained at a hotel in Antalya. 

 Dogan is reporting that two other men, who are both Syrian citizens, were detained nearby and are suspected of having been sent by IS to make sure Dahmani safely crossed the border. 

Counter-terrorism police first became aware of him when he arrived on a flight to Antalya, and he was then tracked to the hotel, Dogan said.

The BBC's Europe correspondent James Reynolds, in Brussels, said: "If people choose to leave their homes, they won't have many ways of getting around on public transport as, of course, the metro system is closed.

"The government has issued instructions via its crisis centre. Interestingly, it said: 'Please, people - do not spread rumours. Follow official information by the authorities and by the police'. 

"The government says it will say more on Sunday."

We'll be bringing you updates throughout the day, following last Friday's attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

Here are the latest developments:

• Belgium has raised its terror alert in the Brussels region to the highest level and is warning of a "very serious" and "imminent" threat
• The metro in the city will be closed until at least Sunday and members of the public have been warned to avoid crowds, including shopping centres and concerts
• Brussels was home to the suspected perpetrators of the Paris terror attacks, in which 130 people died
• The warning for the rest of Belgium remains at a lower threat level
• Salah Abdeslam, one of those still being sought over the Paris attacks, is believed to have returned to Belgium
• The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to "redouble" action against so-called Islamic State (IS)