Brussels Reduces Threat Level After Days of Lockdown

Belgian authorities reduced the security threat level in Brussels from four (its highest level) to three, local media reported Thursday.

The alert was raised to the top level on Saturday, after authorities feared an imminent attack like the ones in Paris on Nov.13 that left 130 dead. The city was on lockdown for nearly a week, with schools, universities and the subway closed, and soldiers patrolling the streets. Police launched multiple raids across the city and arrested five people on terror-related charges.

The ISIS-linked militants who coordinated the Paris attacks also had ties to Brussels. One suspected Paris gunman, Salah Abdeslam, remains at large; he lived in Brussels for several years and was last seen crossing the French border into Belgium.

Schools and universities had begun to reopen on Wednesday, and the reduction of the threat level in Brussels brings it in line with the rest of the country.