A Belgian soldier stands guard around a security perimeter (Picture: Getty Images)

Brussels is in lockdown tonight as police carry out a number of raids.

Armed forces swooped on the Belgian capital, guarding hotels and telling locals to stay inside, according to local reports.

The police operation is believed to have taken place around the Rue de Midi and the city’s main square, the Grand Place.

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Guests at the Radisson Blu were reportedly told to stay inside as the hotel came under heavy guard.

Soldiers were pictured surrounding the building this evening.

A soldier just told our #c4news producer 'no one outside there is a real threat of attack"…. pic.twitter.com/DE2zBbRQ2P — Stuart Webb (@Worldwidewebb1) November 22, 2015

Guests can enter the hotel but will not be allowed to leave – a trolly card is now also being used to block entrance pic.twitter.com/4qOwLXJGp8 — Stuart Webb (@Worldwidewebb1) November 22, 2015

Guests can enter the hotel but will not be allowed to leave – a trolly card is now also being used to block entrance pic.twitter.com/4qOwLXJGp8 — Stuart Webb (@Worldwidewebb1) November 22, 2015

A spokesperson for the hotel told DeMorgen: ‘There is no imminent threat, but we want our guests to keep as safe as possible.’



The surrounding area appeared to have been evacuated.

Was just escorted out of a restaurant rue du midi. Area shut -police op probably going on now. #BrusselsLockdown pic.twitter.com/bsq02mkhAn — Davide Patteri (@DavidePatteri) November 22, 2015

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A police operation is believed to have carried out tonight (Picture: Getty Images)

Belgian police block a road leading to the city centre (Picture: EPA/STEPHANIE LECOCQ)

Soldiers stands guard over the Grand Place of Brussels (Picture: REUTERS/Yves Herman)

The alert comes after ten jihadists attacked a Radisson Blu hotel in Mali and held around 170 people hostage.

At least 27 people were killed in the raid.

It has since emerged that the terrorists were hunting members of an Air France crew which were believed to have been staying there at the time.

Members of special forces are seen inside the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako (Picture: Barcroft Media) Members of special forces are seen inside the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako… Soldiers from the presidential guard patrol outside the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali (Picture: AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Soldiers from the presidential guard patrol outside the Radisson Blu hotel in… A room is seen in the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali (Picture: Reuters) A room is seen in the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali (Picture: Reuters) UN officials exit the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali, November 20, 2015 (Picture: Reuters) UN officials exit the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali, November 20, 2015… Bullet holes are seen at a staircase of the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali (Picture: Reuters) Bullet holes are seen at a staircase of the Radisson hotel in Bamako, Mali… Malian officials carry a corpse outside the Radisson hotel in Bamako (Picture: Reuters) Malian officials carry a corpse outside the Radisson hotel in Bamako (Picture:…

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Brussels has endured a heightened terror alert since the Paris atrocities.

It will see Brussels in lock-down for a third day as the international community prepares to intensify action against Islamic State.

Belgian prime minister Charles Michel said schools, universities and the underground system would have to remain closed tomorrow amid fears of a repeat of the simultaneous gun and bomb attacks in the French capital.

Key suspect Salah Abdeslam is just one of several feared to be at large in the city, where the usually thronged streets have been eerily quiet.

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Salah Abdeslam, who is now believed to be in disguise (right) and going by a new name

‘We fear an attack like in Paris, with several individuals, perhaps in several places,’ Mr Michel warned after a meeting of the country’s national security council.

As the search for the jihadists continued, world leaders were contemplating how to respond to a string of outrages, with the UK moving nearer to joining allied air strikes against IS targets in Syria.

David Cameron will join French president Francois Hollande in Paris tomorrow morning to discuss the crisis and the role British forces can play in the offensive against the extremist strongholds.

The PM is to present his case for escalating British military involvement to Parliament later this week – with the Paris attacks and an unanimous UN Security Council resolution apparently galvanising support among MPs for the move.