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Belgian Capital Remains On Alert; Schools And Metro Stops Open

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

After days of maximum terror alerts, signs of normal life are returning to Brussels. But as NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports, Belgian authorities say they're now searching for a new dangerous suspect allegedly linked to the recent Paris attacks.

OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: After days of heavy rain, when commercial and public life almost came to a halt in Brussels, schools have reopened as blue skies struggle to burst through fluffy white clouds despite some droplets. About half of the city's metro stations are operating again andpeople are back at work. However, heavily armed soldiers with machine guns patrolling the streets of Brussels and armored vehicles are a stark reminder that the capital of the European Union remains on the highest alert. Schools in Brussels are being protected by police officers, some standing guard outside the gates as parents, who are not allowed on the school grounds, dropped off their children this morning. And the police continue the manhunt for a prime suspect in the Paris attacks that the Belgian government says may be armed and dangerous. The authorities will only review the maximum alert status here next week. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Brussels. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is an award-winning broadcaster from Ghana and is NPR's Africa Correspondent. She describes herself as a "jobbing journalist"—who's often on the hoof, reporting from somewhere.