Maltese living in Brussels have told The Sunday Times of Malta their relatives in Malta are more concerned about the Belgian capital raising its alert status than they were.

Brussels has been placed on its highest level of terror alert as a result of information about the risk of an attack similar to one in Paris last week. The metro service has been closed and the public warned to avoid crowds because of a “serious and imminent” threat of an attack.

The city of 1.2 million people is home to the institutions of the European Union and the headquarters of Nato.

Maltese living in the capital, or close by, said that while they have noted increased control on the highways and limited public transport services, the people roaming the city seem to be quite calm.

“Contrary to what those outside Brussels are thinking, people are still walking in the streets, carrying out errands at supermarkets as they normally would on a Saturday,” Brussels resident Massimo Farrugia said when contacted yesterday.

He said that while concerts and other events that attracted large crowds had been cancelled, everything else seems to be going on as usual.

I don’t feel scared but rather annoyed at all the hassle

“I don’t feel scared but rather annoyed at all the hassle,” he said.

The weather in Brussels was yesterday characterised by low temperatures and snow which, Mr Farrugia said, could have further discouraged people from leaving their homes.

Another Maltese living in Brussels, Alan Bugeja, agreed the bad weather could have contributed to the streets being less busy than usual.

“The weather is very bad today, so that could have been one of the reasons why some decided to stay inside. But obviously, you now think twice before going to places where there are large crowds.”

Mr Bugeja insisted he was not surprised by the announcement that Brussels would be on high alert, especially after last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris where 130 people were killed and another 300 injured.

“I’m actually more surprised that something like what happened in Paris has not happened here yet,” he said.

The bombings in Paris were carried out by Islamic State militants. Salah Abdeslam, 26, the ‘eighth attacker’ in the Paris massacres and the only one not to have died, lived in Brussels and has been on the run since the night of the killings. His elder brother Brahim blew himself up at a café during the attacks.

Franklin Bonello, who lives further away from the city centre, said that while he had not seen any police or military in the area where he lives, the atmosphere there was still quite tense.

“People are watching the news, talking about the alert, sending each other messages, but my relatives in Malta are more concerned than I am.

“There are threats everywhere. Terrorism isn’t new. I remember it in the 1980s and 1990s too,” he said.

Mr Bonello said while being cautious, people could not lock themselves indoors as they would be succumbing to the terrorists’ ultimate goal of instilling fear.

“Life has to go on as before. The terrorists want a change in our lifestyle. We have to show caution but you can’t lock yourself indoors.”

Meanwhile the authorities have been telling people in Brussels the alert would be lifted sometime today but the big test would be tomorrow when most people would be heading back to work and school.

Ivan Brincat, who lives about four kilometres from the centre, said that if the alert is lifted without anything actually happening, he would think twice before deciding whether to go to work.

“If nothing happens, not even an arrest or something similar, I would definitely evaluate my plans. After what happened in Paris one cannot but think that this could happen anywhere.”

Mr Brincat said while there were no signs of panic, the streets, which are normally bustling with people, were uncharacteristically quiet yesterday.

“There was much less activity in the main streets. The shops were closed by 1pm, which is unusual for a Saturday. Everyone seems quite sombre.”

*Additional reporting Philip Leone-Ganado