Why did Brussels go into lockdown after the Paris attacks?
Following the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, authorities placed Brussels on lockdown on November 21, 2015, due to a "serious and imminent" threat to the city.1
This security measure was taken as investigators established that the plot had significant ties to Belgium, specifically the Molenbeek district of Brussels. The suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, had grown up in Molenbeek and maintained connections there with several of the attackers. Furthermore, authorities were actively searching for Salah Abdeslam, a Molenbeek native and key suspect in the Paris attacks who had remained at large following the events. During the lockdown, schools, businesses, and the metro system were closed for several days while soldiers patrolled public areas to mitigate the identified security risk.21