Suspected Scheme to Target Belgian Prime Minister Foiled
Belgian law enforcement have detained three suspects suspected of conspiring to carry out an assault on the country's PM, Bart de Wever.
Prosecutors labeled the suspected scheme as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the prime minister and other government officials.
During investigations conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, close to the premier's personal dwelling, authorities uncovered a alleged IED and proof that the accused were intending to use a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the prospective targets of the attack were not disclosed by name by the prosecutor's office, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot confirmed that de Wever was included in the targets.
"Reports of a premeditated attack aimed at PM Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the deputy prime minister stated in a message on X on Thursday.
"It emphasizes that we are dealing with a genuine terrorism risk and that we have to stay alert," he concluded.
The three individuals detained on allegations of attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a extremist organization all reside in Antwerp, per the legal authorities. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
By Thursday evening, one person was freed, while two others were undergoing questioning and likely to face a judge on the next day.
Federal prosecutors stated that the individuals were detained after a judge authorized searches of their dwellings in the location by law enforcement assisted by explosive sniffer dogs.
It was during these raids that they found a object which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", legal representative Ann Fransen announced at a news conference on Thursday.
Raids also found a "bag of steel balls" and a 3D printer, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she added.
The prosecutor disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations initiated in the nation in the current year - surpassing the total number of cases in the previous year.
Earlier this year, five people were found guilty for a scheme last year to attack the prime minister while he was serving as the city's chief executive.
