Brussels could currently be one of Europe's safest cities, says MEP Kaja Kallas
Estonian MEP Kaja Kallas said risks in Belgium have been greatly minimized due to terror threats and currently Brussels is one of Europe's safest cities.
She told ETV that Brussels has been quiet as there is little going on. “Speaking about Sunday, many older residents of Brussels said people believe this to be extraordinary, but it is a usual Sunday in Brussels where it is often this quiet. However, we always visit a market on Sunday and this week it was closed, so in that sense, it is a different day,” she said.
Kallas said taxis are available, but some train stations have been shut. She added that there are fewer cars on the streets and passport checks have been reinstated in airports.
She said everything is being checked thoroughly in Brussels these days. “If we look at what is going on then one can think that Brussels is currently one of the safest cities in Europe,” Kallas said, adding that many questions have arisen from police raids which have seen over a dozen people arrested. Yet no weapons or explosives have been found, and a Paris attacker believed to be in Belgium is yet to be found.
Kallas said the raids have three aims: to show the public that Belgian authorities are doing their jobs, to ward off any potential attackers and thirdly, to lure out the extremists by getting them to communicate with each other.
Brussels is in virtual lockdown since the end of last week due to terror attacks in Paris. Soldiers are patrolling the streets and many businesses and public services are closed.
Editor: J.M. Laats