Military to remain on streets until September

Soldiers will remain on the streets of Brussels until at least 2 September - a month later than planned.

After consulting with the Strategic Committee of Intelligence and Security, the cabinet announced it would keep the terror threat in Belgium at level three out of four - and will keep 1,828 soldiers on the streets throughout August.

The 21 July national day celebrations passed without any major incident - after a false alarm on Wednesday saw the Place de la Monnaie in Brussels closed off for five hours.

Police say they will take legal action to recover their costs after they were called out to intercept a suspected bomber - who turned out to be a student of radiation at the University of Ghent.

“The police force has decided to bring a civil action to recover costs incurred,” said a spokesperson for the Brussels-Capital police.

Meanwhile, Brussels Airport has given the green light to passengers wishing to travel with hunting weapons. Since the 22 March attacks, the transit of weapons from Brussels Airport has been forbidden.

Travellers who wish to travel from Brussels Airport with such a weapon should make arrangements prior to their flight. The decision of whether to allow the weapon on the aircraft is then taken by the respective airline.