Three people were arrested in a security scare involving a Belgian car and Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb on Thursday night.

Broadcaster Nos said the car, a white Mercedes, was spotted crossing the border near Breda and registered again close to Rotterdam by the automatic camera system. It was flagged up as suspicious, sources told the broadcaster.

The car parked on the Westersingel in Rotterdam, close to a restaurant where the city’s mayor was eating. He was ushered away by security staff while police investigated.

A short while later, three men were found sitting in a small park a short distance away and picked up. According to Nos, the owner of the car is considered to be ‘potentially armed and dangerous’.

Nothing was found in the car and it is unclear from the media reports if the three men are still under arrest.

‘We are on extra alert since the Paris attacks,’ a spokeswoman told website Nu.nl. She could not say if the arrests were in connection with the hunt for Paris terrorist suspect Salah Abdeslam.

The public prosecution department also declined to comment, Nu.nl said.