Reported Plot to Strike Belgian Prime Minister Prevented
Belgium's law enforcement have taken into custody three individuals accused of planning an strike on the country's PM, Bart de Wever.
Prosecutors described the suspected plot as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the premier and other elected representatives.
During searches conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, near the prime minister's home, authorities found a alleged IED and evidence that the suspects were intending to employ a drone.
While the prospective targets of the strike were not disclosed by name by the federal prosecutors, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot confirmed that Belgium's leader was one of them.
"Information of a intended strike directed toward Premier Bart de Wever is deeply alarming," the official declared in a post on social media on the investigation day.
"This underscores that we are facing a serious terrorism risk and that we have to remain vigilant," he added.
The three individuals arrested on charges of terrorism-related attempted murder and participation in the functions of a jihadist network all are based in the city of Antwerp, per the federal prosecutors. They were born in the early 2000s.
As of Thursday evening, one of the individuals was let go, while the remaining two were undergoing questioning and scheduled to be presented before a court on the following day.
The prosecution said that the accused were arrested after a court official authorized raids of their homes in the city by law enforcement assisted by bomb detection canines.
In the course of these investigations that they located a device which closely resembled a homemade bomb, legal representative Ann Fransen stated at a press conference on Thursday.
Raids also revealed a "bag of steel balls" and a 3D printer, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she added.
The official said that there had been 80 terrorism investigations launched in Belgium so far this year - more than the total number of instances in 2024.
Earlier this year, five suspects were sentenced for a scheme last year to strike De Wever while he was acting as the mayor of Antwerp.
