Belgians breathe easy as lockdown ends

But the Belgian capital remains on the highest alert, with hundreds of armed police and soldiers on patrol.

Authorities fear the possibility of Paris-style attacks, as several of the attackers were based in Brussels.

France says 130 people died in a series of attacks in Paris. At least one suspected attacker is still at large. The so-called Islamic State (IS) group says it carried out the gun and bomb attacks on 13 November. Five people in Belgium have been charged with terrorism offences in connection with 

the attacks.

In Brussels, schools reopened on Wednesday and public transport began running again from 06:00 (GMT) though some metro lines remained closed.

However, the city is expected to remain on its current top level of alert until at least next Monday.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said the authorities were looking for about 10 suspects who might have been be involved in planning attacks, possibly on shopping centres.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader who was killed in police raids in the Parisian suburb of Saint Denis, was near the Bataclan theatre during a deadly siege there.

French officials say Abaaoud was in a vehicle that dropped attackers off at a cafe and restaurants that were also targeted on the night of 13 November. 

Prosecutors say there is evidence that Abaaoud was planning a later attack on the La Defense business district. According to French broadcaster BFM, Abaaoud and his accomplices had bought suits in order to blend in among workers in the area.

On Tuesday, an arrest warrant was issued in Belgium for a man named Mohamed Abrini over the attacks. Prosecutors say that two days before the attacks, he was seen driving a car with suspect Salah Abdeslam at a petrol station on the motorway to Paris.

Abrini is described as “dangerous and probably armed”. Abdeslam is currently the subject of an international manhunt after the attacks. 

The Renault Clio that Abrini was seen driving was later used in the attacks, prosecutors say. Police say he should not be approached by the public.