Interior Minister: "We had a close shave”

On the evening of 22 November, 9 days after the terrorist attacks in Paris, Brussels was put under lock down. A total of 19 properties were searched in an extensive police operation. However, no weapons, explosives or terrorist suspects were found.

It now emerges that the search had been planned to take place later, but it was brought forward due to the imminent threat. During the operation the police called on the people of Brussels and the media not to publish any detail of what they had seen on the social media. After the operation it remained unclear as to whether an attack had been averted.

However, Mr Jambon now says that “Looking back you realise that we had a close shave” .

"On that evening there was very concrete information that an attack was planned in Brussels before midnight”.

The documentary programme ‘Faroek’ will be broadcast on VTM on Wednesday evening. In addition to Mr Jambon, the Justice Minister Koen Geens (Flemish Christian democrat), the Federal Police Chief Catherine De Bolle and members of the terrorist threat analysis unit OCAD and the Federal Crisis Centre also give their accounts of events.