Twelve arrests as Belgium swoops on terror suspects

Police staged a reconstruction of the March attacks in Brussels just this week

Police in Belgium have made 12 arrests in a huge anti-terror operation, nearly three months after the deadly bomb attacks on Brussels. 

Those detained overnight are suspected of plotting a terrorist attack, prosecutors say. They were among 40 taken in for questioning.

Searches were conducted in 16 municipalities, mainly around Brussels, with checks on 152 lock-up garages.
On 22 March, bombs killed 32 people at a Brussels airport and a metro station.

A dog was used during Friday's reconstruction of the Brussels attacks

No arms or explosives were found during the searches, which passed off without incident, Belgium's federal prosecutor said in a statement.

Among the areas where searches took place was Molenbeek, a Brussels district which has become notorious because of its associations with jihadists.

The federal prosecutor said the operation had been launched after investigations which "necessitated an immediate intervention". However, the Belgian government has not raised the threat level.

• Belgium's jihadist networks
• Gangster jihadists
• The victims of the 22 March attacks
• Brussels attacks linked to Paris

There were several warnings of new attacks in recent days.
On Friday evening, four federal ministers including Prime Minister Charles Michel were placed under heightened police protection along with their families, Belgian media report.
Belgian police are said to have recently received a warning that a group of militants from the so-called Islamic State (IS) group had left Syria en route for Europe, planning new attacks in Belgium and France.