Several schools in and outside of Brussels were evacuated on Friday after the police received reports of bomb threats in the morning.
The Brussels Prosecutor's Office confirmed on Friday afternoon that it has opened an investigation into three bomb alerts in three different Brussels schools.
"This morning, the police zones of Brussels-Capital-Elsene and Brussels-North, received reports of a bomb alert. The schools involved were Lycée Emile Jacqmain in Rue Belliard, Collège des Etoiles in Haren and Collège Roi Baudouin (Schaerbeek)," the statement read.
"A security perimeter was immediately set up and all three schools were evacuated. An explosives dog was also called in. After a negative sweeping and frisk, the security perimeter was lifted and students were allowed to re-enter the schools."
The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office added that an investigation is in full swing to identify the perpetrator(s) of these acts and that it takes these incidents very seriously. "False bomb threats are punishable by severe penalties ranging from three months to two years' imprisonment, and a fine of €400 to €2,400."
What do we know so far?
The spokesperson for the Brussels-North police confirmed to The Brussels Times on Friday morning that the Collège Roi Baudouin, located on Avenue Félix Marchal in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek, received a bomb threat. Parents received an e-mail from the school informing them of the threat and all pupils were evacuated. An investigation is now underway.
A bomb threat was also reported at Jacqmain High School, located in the heart of the European Quarter, on Friday morning. The police were instantly informed and immediately dispatched to the scene, while students were evacuated, and a security perimeter including Leopold Park was set up around the school.
Also on Friday morning, a Walloon school – the Berlaymont school centre, located on the Drève d'Argenteuil in Waterloo — was evacuated as well, due to a bomb threat received at 07:00 in the morning. Here, too, an email which detailed a bomb threat was sent to the school management.
The school and municipal authorities immediately mobilised to organise the evacuation of the pupils and teachers present, and to invite those who had arrived to return home. Those who were not able to return were taken to the sports hall next to the town hall.
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The person has not yet been identified, but whoever was behind it will also have to pay colossal compensation, a spokesperson for the Walloon Brabant Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed.
It was only confirmed in the afternoon that a fourth school – the Collège des Etoiles in Haren – had been the "victim" of a false bomb threat.
Belgium has been on terrorism threat level 3 (Serious: the Threat is Possible and Probable) and is expected to remain on this threat level for some time.
This article was updated at 15:00 on Friday afternoon
