Belgium lowers terror alert level
The Belgian government's National Security Council has followed the advice of the OCAD, the Belgian government body that analyses the terrorist threat, and has lowered the terrorist threat level from 3 to 2 on a scale of four. It's the first time since the Paris attacks over two years ago that the terror alert level has been lowered to level 2.
Terrorist threat level 3 means that an attack is probable. Under threat level 2 the likelihood of an attack is average and not very likely.
The lowering of the threat level will have visible ramifications on Belgian streets. Soldiers are only deployed under threat level 3. Level 3 will continue at certain sensitive locations. As a result most but not all the soldiers that we are so used to seeing on the streets of our big cities will return to barracks. More police too may be deployed to protect certain locations.
Soldiers deployed under threat level 3 will return to their normal occupations. In recent years the Belgian army has had to postpone countless training sessions. These will now resume.