Brussels Police Tweet Calls For Social Media Blackout During Search for Paris Attack Suspect
As Brussels is besieged by officials sweeping the city for a suspect connected to the recent attacks in Paris, police have made a cautionary request: stop posting to social media.
Belgium’s federal police sent the message from their own Twitter account on Sunday, asking residents to silence their feeds until the suspect is found.
Par sécurité, veuillez respecter le silence radio sur les médias sociaux concernant les opérations de police en cours à #Bruxelles. Merci
— Police Fédérale (@PolFed_presse) November 22, 2015
Loosely translated, the tweet says:
For your safety, please observe radio silence on social media about the ongoing police operations in Brussels. Thank you
Subsequent tweets from the Brussels Crisis Centre suggest that officials fear that an attacker could be monitoring social media to see where people are congregating.
On Saturday, the city went into lockdown mode, closing subways and shops after the suspect was said to have entered the country. The government issued its highest security alert possible, warning people to stay away from crowded places.
On Sunday, correspondents in the city reported that several streets have been sealed off in the center of the city, and residents were told to remain inside and stay away from windows
