Traditional New year’s Eve fireworks in the Belgian capital Brussels have been canceled because of a security alert. The Christmas market will close at 1800 instead of staying open all night, and even the ice rink will close early. “We are still facing a potential threat,” a spokesman for the Belgian capital said. The alert follows police saying they had discovered a plot to free a jailed al-Qaeda suspect, Nizar Trabelsi. He has denied any such plot.
