People walk past a bomb squad van outside Antwerp Central train station in Antwerp, Belgium on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Police and the bomb squad unit responded to a suspect package in the Antwerp station... (Associated Press) 
 
 People walk past a bomb squad van outside Antwerp Central train station in Antwerp, Belgium on Saturday, June 18, 2016. Police and the bomb squad unit responded to a suspect package in the Antwerp station while the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said early Saturday that homes and car ports were... (Associated Press) 
 
 BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian authorities have raided dozens of homes and held 12 suspects in a major anti-terror investigation which they said required "immediate intervention" because they feared an attack could have been close. 
 
 Across Belgium parties were held Saturday to watch live broadcasts of the country's soccer team playing Ireland at the European Championships in neighboring France and some media said such events could have been the targets. Belgium won 3-0 and no major incidents were reported during the game. 
 
 Prime Minister Charles Michel said the nation would remain "extremely vigilant, hour by hour," but that the terror level across the nation would remain at the second-highest level, meaning a threat of an attack "is possible and likely." Belgium has been living under such a threat level since the November attacks in Paris, some of whose perpetrators were either Belgian nationals or had lived in Brussels. On March 22, attacks on the Brussels subway and airport killed 32. 
 
 "It will be the case in the coming hours that we will take additional and adapted measures," said Michel after a meeting of the nation's security council. He refused to elaborate on the nature of the threat. 
 
 The federal prosecutor's office said Saturday that homes and car ports were searched in 16 municipalities, mostly in and around Brussels. The statement said there were no major incidents during the raids and that no arms or explosives were found. 
 
 It said 40 people were taken in Friday night and early Saturday for interrogation, of which 12 were held. A judge is to rule on their continued detention later Saturday. 
 
 "It is not over. We remain under terror alert 3, it means that something is still up," Interior Minister Jan Jambon said. "Last night, we had a very successful action." 
 
 The prosecutor's statement said that "the results of the investigation necessitated an immediate intervention," indicating a violent attack was likely planned in the near future. 
 
 The federal prosecutor's office did not link the raids to the March 22 attacks, even though an eighth suspect was arrested as part of the investigation of those attacks late Friday. The Belgian man, identified as Youssef E.A., was charged with "participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist murders and attempts to terrorist murders." 
 
 At the same time, four top ministers, including Michel, Jambon and Justice Minister Koen Geens received special protection following unspecified threats. 
 
 "We learned about that late yesterday that this close protection would happen. They say there are good reasons for that," Geens said. 
 
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 This story has been corrected to reflect that the attacks in Belgium were in March, not November. ||||| Belgian security forces have carried out multiple raids across the country, arresting 12 suspects believed to be planning attacks. 
 
 Flemish public broadcaster VTM said on Saturday that the people arrested overnight were suspected of planning an attack in Brussels this weekend during one of Belgium's matches in the Euro 2016 football tournament. 
 
 The federal prosecutor's office said in a statement that police targeted about 40 locations in a case that needed "immediate intervention". 
 
 "In connection with a criminal investigation concerning terrorism... 40 persons were taken for questioning. Twelve among them were arrested. The investigating judge will decide on their possible detention later today," the statement say. 
 
 The raids took place in 16 communes in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia and "passed off without incident," the statement said. 
 
 Security alert 
 
 The federal prosecutor said "no arms or ammunition have been found up to now". 
 
 Europe is on high alert as the Euro 2016 tournament is under way in France. 
 
 Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba, reporting from Paris, said: "People in Belgium and France are extremely aware that there is an ongoing threat. 
 
 "The French police have been very stretched, dealing not only with security around match venues but also with hooliganism." 
 
 France has deployed 90,000 security forces for the tournament, but French President Francois Hollande has said that the threat of attacks will not stop the event from being successful. 
 
 In March, Brussels' Zaventem airport and the Maelbeek metro station were attacked, leaving 31 people dead, including the bombers, and wounding at least 270 in the worst such incident in Belgian history. 
 
 The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group said it was responsible for the bombings. 
 
 The group also claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks in Paris in November which killed 130 people.
– Twelve people were arrested in Brussels on suspicion of planning terror attacks after dozens of homes were raided and 40 people were questioned overnight, NBC News reports. According to AFP, three of those arrested have been charged with attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group. The other nine were released. Officials say there was a need for "immediate intervention" as the suspects may have been planning an attack in Brussels to coincide with a Euro 2016 soccer match Saturday, Al-Jazeera reports. According to the AP, the European Championships are currently taking place in France, but people were gathering all over Belgium to watch Belgium take on Ireland on Saturday. There were no difficulties during the raids, and no weapons were found. "In the interest of the investigation, currently no further details can be given." NBC quotes a statement from the Belgium Federal Prosecutor’s Office as saying. The Belgian prime minister says the situation is "under control," though the country will remain under the second highest terror level. "It is not over," Belgium's interior minister tells the AP. "Something is still up." Belgium's soccer team ended up defeating Ireland 3-0 in its Euro match.