WORLD NEWS: BELGIUM - Brussels police detain six over 'New Year terror plot'

Police in Belgium have detained a further six people in connection with an alleged plot to target Brussels on New Year's Eve, prosecutors say.


The six were detained during raids at locations in and around the Belgian capital on Thursday.
Two men had been arrested earlier in the week, and the mayor of Brussels has cancelled the New Year's festivities.French authorities say more than 100,000 police are being deployed across France to ensure security.

Paris will see its biggest public gathering since the deadly attacks there last month, but the city's usual firework display will not take place.

Belgian authorities say the apparent plots to target New Year celebrations in Brussels are not related to the suspected network behind the Paris attacks.

The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, said the decision to cancel the city's New Year celebrations was based on intelligence suggesting they could be targeted.

The two men seized in Brussels on Sunday morning, named as 30-year-old Said Saouti and 27-year-old Mohammed Karay, both Belgian nationals, can be held for a month, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Both are members of a motorcycle club called the Kamikaze Riders. Some members have links to Islamist groups and to Belgians who have travelled to Syria to fight with so-called Islamic State, Belgian media report.

It is not clear whether the six taken in for questioning on Thursday morning are also connected to the motorcycle club.

Police seized material during Thursday's raids including computers, phones and materials for playing airsoft - a military simulation game in which players fire replica weapons loaded with plastic pellets.


Separately, Belgian police arrested a 10th suspect over the 13 November attacks in Paris, in which 130 people were killed.

The Belgian national, identified as Ayoub B, was detained on Wednesday during a raid in the Brussels district of Molenbeek. He has been charged with terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.


Extra measures

Security is being stepped up in other major European cities ahead of New Year celebrations, including Paris, London, Berlin and Moscow, with officials wary of possible terror plots.

Earlier this week, Austrian police claimed a "friendly intelligence service" had tipped them off that major European capitals were at risk of being attacked over the holiday period.

While the French capital has cancelled its main New Year fireworks display, the traditional gathering on the Champs-Elysees will take place, amid tight security.

A light show on the Arc de Triomphe will be shorter than normal and four giant screens will be placed at intervals to avoid creating tightly packed crowds.

Arrests in Ankara


On Wednesday, Turkish police arrested two suspected IS members over an alleged plot to attack celebrations in Ankara. 

State media said they were planning two separate attacks on crowded areas. Suicide vests and explosives were found during police raids.

Security will also be stepped up in Istanbul, with local media reports saying that some officers will be wearing Father Christmas outfits and other disguises to patrol crowds undetected.


Red Square closed
Security is also being tightened in cities where the authorities say there is no specific intelligence about a possible attack.

Authorities in Moscow will completely close off Red Square, where crowds normally count down to midnight.
Moscow's normally crowded Red Square will be closed 


Berlin bag ban
In Berlin, backpacks and fireworks will be prohibited and bags searched on the "party mile" leading up to the Brandenburg Gate.

Up to a million people are expected to attend the celebration.
Backpacks will be banned at the Berlin celebrations 

Berlin's interior minister Frank Henkel encouraged party-goers to not allow fear to sour their celebratory mood. "Caution is a good counsellor, fear is not," he told broadcaster RBB.
Precautions in London

London's Metropolitan Police will deploy 3,000 officers in the inner city, including extra armed officers.

More than 100,000 people are expected to watch the Mayor of London's fireworks show, a ticketed event.

"Our plans are purely precautionary and not as a result of any specific intelligence," said a spokesperson.
Asia drills

Australian officials had assured revellers that thousands of extra police would patrol major cities, but urged residents to celebrate. "Don't change your way of life," said Melbourne's Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.

The US embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, warned its citizens of "possible attacks" against hotels and clubs in the city in connection with New Year's Eve celebrations.

And a number of other cities around the world have been put on high alert or called up additional police officers, including Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi, where police and anti-terror squads conducted mock terror drills this week. 


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