Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam | Belgian Federal Police/EPA Belgian official: Abdeslam still ‘in Brussels’ Authorities raised the terror threat and canceled a soccer match because of intelligence on an active threat.

The Belgian government raised the terror threat level for the whole country because they believe Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam is still in the Brussels area, according to a high-ranking Belgian official who is close to the investigation.

"There's communication that indicates that the person is in Belgium and would continue the plan,” the official said, who talked on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing case. "We do know that he's been in Brussels; 24 hours ago he was in Molenbeek."

Authorities raised the terror threat level from two, which means “moderate, less probable,” to three, which means “serious, probable.” They canceled the Belgian national soccer team’s Tuesday night friendly match against Spain because Abdeslam remains at-large. The government also announced it would increase the number of soldiers patrolling public areas by 300, to a total of 520.

The Belgian official’s comments provide more details on why authorities suddenly placed the region on high alert. The game was canceled because of active intelligence leads, according to the source.

Abdeslam reportedly drove from France to Brussels early Saturday morning with Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 21, according to the Associated Press, who spoke with lawyers for the two men. Both Amri and Attou were arrested and are behind bars on charges of terrorist murder and conspiracy.

Amri’s lawyer Xavier Carrette denied his client had any role in the attack. Amri admitted only to “having been in France to pick up a friend,” said Carrette.

Attou’s lawyer, Carine Couquelet, says her client drove Amri to France and back with Abdeslam and only joined on the journey to keep him company.

Belgian newspaper Het Nieuswblad reported that Attou said he had dropped Abdeslam near the Roi Baudouin soccer stadium, where the match was to be played Tuesday night.

One of Abdeslam’s brothers, Ibrahim, was one of the suicide bombers during Friday night’s attacks.

Salah’s other brother, Mohammed, has said that the 26-year-old, who has been labeled a “dangerous individual” by Belgian police, should turn himself in.

"We are a family, we are thinking about him, we are wondering where he is, if he’s scared, if he’s eating,” Abdeslam told BMFTV. “The best thing would be for him to hand himself in so that the authorities can work out exactly what’s happened."

Ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be fashioned into explosives, was found at the home of Amri and Attou, according to Belgian media reports. The lawyers for the two men could not confirm that authorities suspected them as the suppliers of the suicide bomb vests.