Military Anti-Terror Patrolling Cost Belgium Over $100Mln Since 2015

The patrolling of public places by the military in Belgium, which began in the kingdom under the framework of a strengthened security regime introduced after the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, has already cost Brussels 100.3 million euros ($107.35 million) of its budget, Belgian Minister of Defense Steven Vandeput said Friday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — Currently, 1,250 Belgian servicemen are reportedly participating in patrolling and security operations.

"The overall cost of this commitment in the period from January 17, 2016 to April 18, 2017 is 100,289,000 euros," Vandeput said as quoted by the Belga news agency.

Since March 24, 2016, there has been an increased terrorist threat in Belgium, at a level designated as three out of a possible four on the Belgian Crisis Center's scale.

The fourth level was reached on the day of the terrorist attacks at the airport and the Brussels metro on March 22, 2016 being lowered two days later to the third tier, suggesting a possible and probable threat of a terrorist attack.