Reported Plot to Attack Belgian Prime Minister Thwarted
Belgium's law enforcement have detained three people accused of planning an assault on the government's PM, Bart de Wever.
Legal authorities labeled the suspected plan as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the premier and other elected representatives.
During searches conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, in proximity to the PM's home, authorities uncovered a potential IED and indications that the accused were preparing to deploy a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the prospective targets of the attack were not officially named by the federal prosecutors, Vice Premier Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was included in the targets.
"Information of a intended assault targeting Premier Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the official stated in a update on social media on the investigation day.
"It highlights that we are dealing with a very real terrorist threat and that we have to remain vigilant," he continued.
The three people taken into custody on allegations of terrorism-related attempted murder and involvement in the functions of a terrorist group all reside in Antwerp, according to the federal prosecutors. They were with years of birth in the early 2000s.
By Thursday evening, one suspect was released, while the remaining two were undergoing questioning and expected to face a judge on Friday.
Federal prosecutors revealed that the individuals were taken into custody after a magistrate authorized inspections of their homes in the city by officials supported by explosives-trained dogs.
It was during these raids that they discovered a device which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", federal prosecutor Ann Fransen stated at a press conference on the day of the events.
Raids also revealed a container of metal spheres and a three-dimensional printer, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she noted.
The official stated that there had been 80 extremist probes opened in the nation so far this year - surpassing the total number of investigations in 2024.
Earlier this year, five individuals were found guilty for a previous year's plan to attack De Wever while he was acting as the mayor of Antwerp.
