Brussels cancels New Year’s Eve fireworks due to terror threat

The New Year’s Eve fireworks display is being cancelled in Belgium’s capital due to threats of an extremist attack.

Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said the decision was taken on Wednesday evening after consultation with government officials.

“We are forced to cancel considering the risk analysis done by the Crisis Centre,” he told the French-language RTBF network.

Last December 31, Mr Mayeur said, 100,000 people turned out in the Belgian capital to ring in the new year.

“In these circumstances, we can’t check everyone,” Mr Mayeur said.

Brussels was home to four of the radical Islamic attackers who killed 130 people in Paris on November 13.