No signs of pending attack in the Netherlands: Dutch PM

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said following the attacks on Tuesday in Brussels that he had no concrete signs of a possible terrorist attack in the Netherlands.

"The attacks in Brussels are horrible, cowardly and shocking," Rutte said at a press conference after an extraordinary meeting with the Ministerial Crisis Management Committee.

"It is murder, a direct attack on our freedom, our security and our way of life. Brussels was hit in the heart, Belgium was hit in the heart and Europe was hit in the heart. I expressed my condolences to my Belgian counterpart Charles Michel. Much is still unclear. I do not know if there are Dutch victims."

Following the attacks in Brussels on Tuesday morning, the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) stated that the threat level remained substantial, a level it has been since March 2013.

Nevertheless, Rutte said, "There are no concrete indications about an attack in the Netherlands," he said.

"Nevertheless, we will be extra alert, with additional security measures, expanding military police patrols at airports, extra border controls, additional precautionary measures at train stations, more police surveillance, additional checks at border train stations in Arnhem, Breda and Roosendaal, checks by the military police in international trains. Train traffic to Brussels has stopped and our advice is not to travel to Brussels," he added.

"We stay in close contact with Germany, Belgium, and France in case additional measures are required," Rutte added.

At least 26 people were killed and 136 injured in explosions on Tuesday at Brussels airport and on a city subway train, according to media reports. Endit