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A simulated attack has taken place in the Belgian city of Antwerp to test how European authorities would react in the event of a real terror strike.
This staged exercise sees an anarchist group with links to Middle East jihadists take two hundred people hostage at a university.
After the hostages are released, they are decontaminated amid fears they have caught a contagious virus.
The terrorist group in this exercise threatened to set off a chemical bomb.
In 2013, Europol detained around 500 suspects of acts linked to terrorist activities. The law enforcement agency considers returning jihadists to the current biggest threat.
Claus Sorensen, EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection director general said “the threat is actually fairly equal around Europe.
“Of course they are some member-states that are bigger so they have more, unfortunately, of their youngsters that have gone down there, but I think it can hit anywhere. I don’t think we should exaggerate the threat but we have to be well prepared”.
France, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria and the Netherlands joined the Belgian authorities.
Around 800 people, between experts, operations and volunteers participated in the exercise, making it one of the largest of its kind in European territory.