Downpatrick man in Brussels as city in lock-down over terror threats

Downpatrick man in Brussels as city in lock-down over terror threats

25 November 2015

A DOWNPATRICK man living in Brussels has given a firsthand account of a five-day lock-down that has struck fear into the city.

Speaking from his city centre apartment where he has remained for five days amid government warnings of an imminent terrorist strike, Barry Magee has described the eerily silent streets of Europe’s capital — at a standstill since Saturday.

He said he awoke on Saturday morning to hear the government warning people to stay at home after the city was declared to be at its highest level of security risk since Word War Two.

Public transport was brought to a halt and businesses and schools closed as police warned they had credible intelligence that a suicide bomber may be in hiding and ready to launch a Paris-style attack in the city.

While the weekend passed quickly, with evidence of many police searches in the streets below his apartment as sirens wailed and blockades were erected, by Monday morning Barry said the atmosphere had changed.

“There was a lot of police and army activity at first, with many people reporting what was happening in their districts via social media,” he said.

“However the police asked people to stop using social media to potentially tip-off anyone in hiding. By Monday everything was much quieter. There was no evidence of searches, it all seemed to be going on behind the scenes.”

Barry, who has been working in Brussels for five years as a communications advisor in the environmental sector, said he was also becoming frustrated by the lock-down.

“I have barely left the house to be on the safe side,” he said.

“I nipped out to the shop for cigarettes but there was nobody on the streets and it was a quick visit. The city is dead.”

Growing up in Downpatrick during the Troubles, Barry says feels slightly desensitised to the level of threat in comparison to local people who he said were “freaking out.”

“The fact police are chasing one particular suspect, who they believe is on the loose in Brussels and who could be willing to blow himself up at any time, is definitely unnerving. It is an extreme set of circumstances,” he said.

“It feels strange to be in the middle of something like this but being from Northern Ireland it also feels a little bit familiar. I am not frightened but it is still quite shocking.

“Belgian people are on edge as the circumstances are undoubtedly quite exceptional.

“There is a heightened hysteria because the Belgians are not used to this. The city is a ghost town

“People handle these situations differently but there is certainly a heightened sense of anxiety.”

Despite the high security level expected to be maintained for at least a week, Barry said he plans to return to work by taxi in a bid to return to normality.

“Hiding in your apartment is not the way to live your life,” he said.

“Because of the heightened security measures, people are not carrying out their usual business. “This must have had an impact on the economy I am sure it must have cost businesses a lot of money. Restaurants and bars are closed.

“I have been sitting in the apartment since Friday and it is getting boring. Although I’m sure I will feel a bit nervous you have to live and work and I am ready to get back out there.”