Brussels on highest alert as Belgian officials warn of ‘serious and imminent’ threat

WaPo ^ | 11-21-2015 | William Booth, Anthony Faiola and Emily Badger

[NRx]

BRUSSELS — The government abruptly shut down the city’s subway system, canceled sporting events and warned residents to avoid crowded places as Belgium placed the capital on maximum alert early Saturday, citing a “serious and imminent” threat of attack.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Saturday morning that officials had identified shopping centers, public transportation and major events as targets of a possible attack, involving multiple assailants at multiple locations, similar to the deadly assault that struck Paris on Nov. 13.

Searches of homes overnight by police in the immigrant quarter of Molenbeek and other neighborhoods in Brussels uncovered explosives and weapons, the prime minister said. Belgian security officials said it appeared that suspects were planning simultaneous attacks and that this was the reason for raising the threat to its highest level. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels also issued a security alert warning U.S. citizens here “to shelter in place and remain at home.” Late Friday, an additional Belgian citizen was charged as an accomplice in connection with the Paris attacks and participation in a terrorist organization. Authorities declined to release his name.

[Oatka]

. . .due to heavy losses and the inability to bury all of the eliminated terrorists in accordance with Islamic tradition, the commanders decided to dump the bodies of ordinary militants in sewage pits.

That should be SOP for our side, including body parts from the suicide bombers. Then there's the added insult that their feet will be pointed towards Mecca. Advertise far and wide that this will be the fate of any terrorist. The French should report that that is how they will dispose of those shooters' bodies.

They may not be afraid of physical death, but having Allah turn away from them is disgust should cause a Reality Check.

[bgill]

Been saying for a week they needed to wake up. The Paris terrorists were running back and forth between Paris and Belgium. The Mali hotel is owned by a Belgium company. Connect the dots.

[infowarrior]

Not very much scares me but I’ll be doing all of my CHRISTMAS shopping online this year. I know the politicians like to say we need to show the Muzzies that we arent afraid of them but being the subject of a makeshift memorial doesnt do much for me.

A word to the wise, as to your current plans. I read an alert just this evening at my place of employment. The subject of this alert is very germane to your shopping plans.

The alert stated that within the last 30 days, some $32,000.00 worth of UPS uniforms have been purchased on E-Bay. Why is this germane? *Somebody* has apparently spent no small sum of money to obtain a rather large quantity of UPS uniforms outside of official UPS channels. Given the reality that we are coming upon the season of the year when package deliveries are at their annual peak, coupled with the tenor of the times, and the threats uttered by groups such as DAESH, one should be willing to connect some rather uncomfortable dots.

Can I say for dead certain that there may be a nefarious plot afoot where teams of bogus "delivery drivers" in official UPS uniforms sow havok in a number of major metropolitan areas? No I cannot, but I certainly do not rule the possibility out.

Thus a few things to be on watch for:
a UPS driver utilizing a vehicle other than a clearly marked official UPS vehicle. (UPS makes *NO* deliveries/pickups in anything other than an official "company vehicle", with logo.)
a "delivery person" who cannot present an official identification of said person as an actual employee of UPS (UPS issues all employees with such, similar to the US Postal Service.)
anything else that doesn't look "quite right".

Forewarned is forearmed...

the infowarrior