U.S. Embassy in Belgium warns Americans to shelter in place

Heavily armed police and soldiers patrolled Belgium's capital Saturday as the government warned of a threat of Paris-style attacks. At least one suspect from the deadly Paris attacks is still at large, and was last seen crossing into Belgium.

The U.S. Embassy in Brussels informs U.S. citizens that Belgium has raised its threat level for Brussels from level 3 (high) to level 4 (imminent attack). For the rest of Belgium, the threat level remains at level 3. The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to shelter in place and remain at home. If you must go out, avoid large crowds. The Embassy will provide further information as received and is available.

Please Note:

The U.S. Embassy will continue to update and inform the community of any/all security related information as we are made aware. It is important that everyone remain cognizant of their personal safety and security at all times.

In this time of elevated threat, the U.S. Embassy in Brussels reminds U.S. citizens to exercise caution in public transportation systems, sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas, shopping malls, and other tourist destinations.

U.S. citizens are encouraged to monitor media and local information for any updates to this situation and factor this updated information into personal travel plans and activities.

For further information:

See the State Department's travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Belgium Country Specific Information.

Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.

Contact the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, which is located at Blvd du Regent 27, B-1000 in Brussels and is open Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (except U.S. federal and Belgian holidays). If you are a U.S. citizen in need of urgent assistance, the emergency number for the U.S, Embassy is: 02-811-4000.

To contact the Consulate General, please e-mail us at mailto:uscitizenbrussels@state.gov.

Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.