Police searched a car for explosives, then arrested the owner — a man clad in camouflage gear who had a gun and a chainsaw stashed in his vehicle. It was identified as a Slovak national born in 1982. The man said that “he wanted to meet the president of the parliament” but not other information about his motivation was given. He was charged with “threatening an attack, possession of an illegal weapon and unauthorized possession of a firearm requiring a license.” The bomb alert of the European Parliament buildings was lifted after investigation over the suspicious vehicle. After the Jan. 7-9 Paris terror attacks high security rules apply in Belgium and especially in Brussels. Soldiers now patrol major public buildings like the EU institutions. A similar false car bomb alert was triggered by another car parked near the US embassy in the Belgian capital.
