Alleged Plan to Target Belgian Prime Minister Prevented
Belgian law enforcement have arrested three people suspected of conspiring to carry out an strike on the government's PM, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors labeled the suspected plan as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the premier and fellow elected representatives.
During investigations conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, near the premier's personal dwelling, officials found a potential improvised explosive device and proof that the suspects were preparing to employ a drone.
While the prospective targets of the assault were not officially named by the legal authorities, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot confirmed that Belgium's leader was included in the targets.
"Information of a premeditated strike targeting Prime Minister Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the official wrote in a post on X on the day of the arrests.
"It emphasizes that we are dealing with a very real terrorist threat and that we have to stay alert," he concluded.
The three suspects arrested on charges of terrorism-related attempted murder and involvement in the functions of a jihadist network all reside in Antwerp, according to the federal prosecutors. They were had birth years in the early 2000s.
On late Thursday, one person was released, while two others were still being questioned and likely to face a judge on the next day.
Federal prosecutors said that the suspects were taken into custody after a judge directed inspections of their dwellings in the city by officials assisted by bomb detection canines.
Throughout these investigations that they found a item which appeared to be an IED, legal representative Ann Fransen stated at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Investigations also found a container of metal spheres and a 3D printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she continued.
The official stated that there had been eighty counter-terrorism cases initiated in the country this year - exceeding the total number of investigations in the previous year.
During the spring, five people were convicted for a 2023 plot to target De Wever while he was holding the position of the mayor of Antwerp.
