Alleged Scheme to Attack Belgian Premier Thwarted
Belgium's law enforcement have taken into custody three individuals allegedly involved in planning an strike on the nation's PM, Bart de Wever.
Legal authorities described the reported scheme as a "jihadist-inspired terrorist attack" targeting the PM and fellow politicians.
During raids conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, close to the PM's home, officials discovered a alleged IED and indications that the individuals were preparing to deploy a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the prospective targets of the strike were not publicly identified by the federal prosecutors, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot confirmed that de Wever was among them.
"Information of a planned assault aimed at PM Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the deputy prime minister stated in a message on X on Thursday.
"It emphasizes that we are confronting a serious extremist danger and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three people arrested on charges of plotting a terrorist killing and engagement in the activities of a jihadist network all reside in Antwerp, according to the prosecutor's office. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
As of Thursday evening, one suspect was released, while the other suspects were undergoing questioning and expected to face a judge on the following day.
The prosecution revealed that the individuals were arrested after a judge authorized raids of their homes in the urban area by law enforcement backed by explosive sniffer dogs.
It was during these raids that they discovered a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, federal prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a news conference on that day.
Investigations also found a "bag of steel balls" and a 3D printer, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she added.
The prosecutor said that there had been 80 terrorism investigations launched in the country in the current year - surpassing the full amount of instances in last year.
In April, five people were convicted for a 2023 plot to target the prime minister while he was acting as Antwerp's mayor.
