Suspected Plot to Attack Belgian Prime Minister Prevented
Belgian law enforcement have detained three suspects suspected of conspiring to carry out an attack on the government's PM, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors described the alleged plan as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the premier and fellow government officials.
During investigations conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, near the PM's home, investigators discovered a potential IED and evidence that the individuals were planning to deploy a drone.
While the prospective targets of the attack were not disclosed by name by the federal prosecutors, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot confirmed that de Wever was among them.
"Reports of a intended assault targeting Prime Minister Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the deputy prime minister stated in a message on X on Thursday.
"This underscores that we are facing a genuine terrorist threat and that we have to remain vigilant," he concluded.
The three people taken into custody on allegations of attempted terrorist murder and involvement in the activities of a jihadist network all reside in the city of Antwerp, as stated by the prosecutor's office. They were born in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
By Thursday evening, one of the individuals was freed, while two others were still being questioned and scheduled to be presented before a court on Friday.
The prosecution said that the suspects were arrested after a judge directed searches of their dwellings in the urban area by law enforcement assisted by explosives-trained dogs.
It was during these searches that they found a item which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", federal prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Raids also uncovered a container of metal spheres and a additive manufacturing device, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she added.
The prosecutor stated that there had been eighty counter-terrorism cases launched in the country this year - surpassing the full amount of instances in the previous year.
Earlier this year, five people were convicted for a scheme last year to target Belgium's leader while he was serving as the city's chief executive.
