BRUSSELS — Belgian prosecutors say three people have been detained in counterterrorism raids in Brussels prompted by the arrest of a Frenchman in the Paris area suspected of plotting a new attack on Friday (March 25).

The federal prosecutor's office says the three were arrested on Friday in three different districts of the Belgian capital — Schaerbeek, Forest and Saint-Gilles.

These arrests are believed linked to the arrest of Reda Kriket in France on Thursday. Kriket was convicted in absentia of terrorist activities last year along with the suspected ringleader of deadly attacks in Paris last November.

Witnesses reported gunfire and at least two explosions.

An army bomb-disposal squad and heavily armed agents were at the scene, according to an local television reporter nearby. Media outlets said police shot a man with a backpack.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel cancelled an appearance with US Secretary of State John Kerry as the police operations unfolded, Belga reported.

Brussels has been on edge as police hunt for the ringleader of the attacks amid fears that other Islamic State terror cells lie ready to strike in Belgium or other parts of Europe. AGENCIES