Suspected Plot to Target Belgian PM Foiled
Belgian law enforcement have taken into custody three individuals suspected of conspiring to carry out an assault on the country's premier, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors characterized the reported plan as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the premier and other elected representatives.
During searches conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, close to the premier's personal dwelling, investigators found a potential IED and indications that the accused were preparing to use a UAV.
While the intended targets of the attack were not officially named by the legal authorities, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was among them.
"Information of a planned attack aimed at PM Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the official wrote in a update on X on the day of the arrests.
"It emphasizes that we are facing a very real extremist danger and that we have to remain vigilant," he continued.
The three suspects arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related attempted murder and engagement in the activities of a jihadist network all reside in Antwerp, per the prosecutor's office. They were born in the early 2000s.
On late Thursday, one person was released, while the other suspects were still being questioned and scheduled to face a judge on Friday.
Federal prosecutors said that the individuals were detained after a magistrate ordered raids of their dwellings in the location by police officers backed by bomb detection canines.
Throughout these searches that they located a object which appeared to be an IED, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Raids also revealed a collection of ball bearings and a three-dimensional printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she continued.
Fransen disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations opened in the country in the current year - more than the total number of instances in 2024.
In April, five people were convicted for a scheme last year to strike Belgium's leader while he was serving as the mayor of Antwerp.
