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Belgians post cat pictures to keep terrorists in the dark
Published: Nov 23, 2015 12:27 p.m. ET
Brussels remains on lockdown
Reuters
A soldier patrols near the Grand Place in central Brussels as police search the area during a continued high level of security following the Paris attacks 10 days ago.
By
MICHELLECOFFEY
ASST. MANAGING EDITOR
As Brussels was placed under an unprecedented lockdown and the highest terror alert level over the weekend, residents were urged to stay inside as counterterrorism raids were carried out in the Belgian capital.
Belgian authorities asked citizens to stop sharing and tweeting anything related to police activity and operations on social media as the hunt for suspected terrorists in the Paris attacks intensified Sunday evening. The concern was that increased chatter via the “#BrusselsLockdown” hashtag on Twitter could potentially tip off targets during the raid.
See also: Brussels lockdown enters third day with key terror suspect still at large
Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, said Sunday that the threat of an assault similar to what occurred in Paris was “very serious and imminent,” and government, schools, banks, shops and transit continued to be shuttered on Monday.
Residents responded to authorities’ request by flooding the Twitter hashtag with cat pictures in a unified effort to keep terrorists in the dark. Police have detained a total of 21 people in raids across Belgium, including five arrests made early Monday,according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Belgian police thanked the Internet after one of the raids was over, even as Brussels remained on high alert Monday:
Brussels on lockdown as number of arrests rises
(1:35)
Belgium shuts down the capital for a third straight day amid fears of a serious and imminent threat of attack. Photo: Reuters
What you need to know about the ongoing lockdown in Brussels
Published: Nov 23, 2015 12:27 p.m. ET
Brussels remains on lockdown
A soldier patrols near the Grand Place in central Brussels as police search the area during a continued high level of security following the Paris attacks 10 days ago.
By
MICHELLECOFFEY
ASST. MANAGING EDITOR
As Brussels was placed under an unprecedented lockdown and the highest terror alert level over the weekend, residents were urged to stay inside as counterterrorism raids were carried out in the Belgian capital.
Belgian authorities asked citizens to stop sharing and tweeting anything related to police activity and operations on social media as the hunt for suspected terrorists in the Paris attacks intensified Sunday evening. The concern was that increased chatter via the “#BrusselsLockdown” hashtag on Twitter could potentially tip off targets during the raid.
See also: Brussels lockdown enters third day with key terror suspect still at large
Belgium’s prime minister, Charles Michel, said Sunday that the threat of an assault similar to what occurred in Paris was “very serious and imminent,” and government, schools, banks, shops and transit continued to be shuttered on Monday.
Residents responded to authorities’ request by flooding the Twitter hashtag with cat pictures in a unified effort to keep terrorists in the dark. Police have detained a total of 21 people in raids across Belgium, including five arrests made early Monday,according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Belgian police thanked the Internet after one of the raids was over, even as Brussels remained on high alert Monday:
Brussels on lockdown as number of arrests rises
(1:35)
Belgium shuts down the capital for a third straight day amid fears of a serious and imminent threat of attack. Photo: Reuters
What you need to know about the ongoing lockdown in Brussels
