Arrest of a Woman on Charges of 'Terrorist Activities' at London Airport; Military Mobilization in Belgium

In continuation of anti-terrorism measures by European countries, London police have arrested an 18-year-old woman at one of the city's airports on charges of preparing to carry out terrorist activities and membership in an illegal organization. The Belgian army has also been deployed to the streets for increased security. According to Reuters, the London police statement says that this woman was arrested on Friday, January 26, when she disembarked from a flight at Stansted Airport. The arrest of this 18-year-old woman is linked to previous investigations that led to the arrest of a 21-year-old man last October. The woman, whose details and further information about her case have not been disclosed, has been transferred to a London police station and is currently in custody. Since August of last year, the UK has increased its security level to confront Islamic jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria. In recent days, France, Belgium, and Germany have arrested or killed about 30 suspects linked to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda or suspected of supporting these groups. The German news agency reported that three more individuals were arrested late Friday on charges of threatening police in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Two French nationals were also arrested in Yemen on charges of links to al-Qaeda by Yemen's security service. Belgium, which conducted the largest anti-terror operation in its history last Thursday night, has mobilized hundreds of soldiers since Saturday to protect public places. The duty of these 300 soldiers is to assist police forces in securing the premises of NATO, the European Union, the Commission and Parliament of Europe, the Israeli embassy, and other potential terrorist targets. Belgian soldiers will participate in this operation at least until Thursday while the government decides on how to continue security measures.