The capital of Belgium from a busy city has become a ghost town within 24 hours following the government’s decision to raise terror alert to highest level and take emergency safety measures to prevent a terrorist attack similar to the ones occurred to Paris.

The decision was taken on Saturday morning with the OCAM national crisis centre warning of an “imminent threat” a week after the bloody Paris attacks.

“Following our latest evaluation… the centre has raised its terror alert to level 4, signifying a very serious threat, for the Brussels region,” it said.

The centre urged citizens to avoid crowded areas such as concerts and transport hubs in Belgium’s capital and remain in their houses.

Metro and trains stopped their operation for the first in Brussels, shopping malls, supermarkets, cinemas, theatres and restaurants were forced to close and all events, including football matches, were cancelled for safety reasons, whereas Belgian soldiers petrol the city.

Media in Belgium informed citizens to avoid taking pictures of soldiers in the center and posting them to social networks so that terrorists could not find out their location.

Security measures will remain in force until Sunday noon, when Belgian authorities will reassess the situation at 15:00 (local time).