Belgian police have alerted their French counterparts over an alleged group of Islamic State (IS) group jihadists en route to Europe to carry out terror attacks in the two countries, reports FRANCE 24.
Belgian police received an alert warning that the armed militants left Syria about a week and a half ago, and had planned to reach Europe by boat via Turkey and Greece.
The story was widely circulated in the Belgian press on Tuesday morning, but the crisis centre in charge of coordinating the country’s security responses said there were no immediate plans to raise the security level to its maximum of four.
FRANCE 24 correspondent Meabh McMahon said the alert also included information about possible targets in Belgium. “A number of venues were identified, including a non-identified American fast-food restaurant, a shopping mall or a police station,” she said from the capital of Brussels.
A source at France’s interior ministry said investigators were currently reviewing the information in the alert. “We know the threat is very high,” the source said. “We’re reviewing all the elements [of the alert].”
Belgian daily DH said the fighters were ordered to split into two units, one aiming to carry out attacks in Belgium, the other in France.
It mentioned no specific targets in France, which is hosting the Euro 2016 football championships in 10 stadiums across the country until July 10th.
The alert came two days after an attacker who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group killed a French police commander and his partner at their home outside Paris.
“Belgian police forces have been advised that they are allowed to take their weapons back home. They are all obviously thinking about that atrocity on Monday night in Paris,” McMahon said.