Belgium Raises Terror Level ahead of Anti-Islam Film Release

Belgium on Friday raised its terror threat level to the second-highest ahead of the release of a new home-made film on the Internet next week criticizing the Prophet Mohammed.

Interior Minister Joelle Milquet said the decision by a terror analysis and coordination unit was "a simple preventative measure," taking the level of threat up from two to three out of a maximum of four.

The decision was taken ahead of the release, planned for December 14, of "The Innocent Prophet" which an online trailer says is "from the point of view of an ex-Muslim".

The film is presented as the work of a man living in Spain called Imran Firasat and said to be inspired by "The Innocence of Muslims", a film released in September that triggered a wave of anti-US protests across the Middle East and blamed for more than 30 deaths.