Suspected Plot to Target Belgian Prime Minister Prevented
Belgian authorities have detained three people allegedly involved in conspiring to carry out an attack on the government's premier, Bart de Wever.
Legal authorities labeled the alleged scheme as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the prime minister and other politicians.
During searches conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, near the premier's home, investigators discovered a suspected IED and indications that the accused were preparing to use a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the intended targets of the attack were not disclosed by name by the prosecutor's office, Vice Premier Maxime Prevot confirmed that de Wever was one of them.
"Reports of a intended assault directed toward PM Bart de Wever is deeply alarming," the official wrote in a post on X on the day of the arrests.
"It emphasizes that we are facing a serious extremist danger and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three suspects arrested on allegations of terrorism-related attempted murder and engagement in the functions of a terrorist group all live in the city of Antwerp, as stated by the legal authorities. They were with years of birth in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
By Thursday evening, one of the individuals was freed, while two others were undergoing questioning and expected to be presented before a court on Friday.
The prosecution said that the suspects were taken into custody after a magistrate authorized inspections of their dwellings in the location by officials assisted by bomb detection canines.
In the course of these raids that they discovered a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen stated at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Investigations also revealed a container of metal spheres and a additive manufacturing device, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she noted.
The official disclosed that there had been eighty counter-terrorism cases initiated in the nation in the current year - exceeding the total number of investigations in last year.
In April, five suspects were sentenced for a scheme last year to target Belgium's leader while he was serving as the city's chief executive.