Alleged Scheme to Target Belgian PM Thwarted
Belgian law enforcement have arrested three suspects accused of plotting an strike on the country's premier, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors labeled the reported plan as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the prime minister and other elected representatives.
During investigations conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, close to the PM's private residence, investigators uncovered a alleged homemade bomb and indications that the accused were preparing to use a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the prospective targets of the assault were not publicly identified by the legal authorities, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was included in the targets.
"Information of a intended assault directed toward Premier Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," Prevot stated in a message on online platforms on Thursday.
"This underscores that we are facing a serious terrorism risk and that we have to keep watchful," he concluded.
The three individuals arrested on allegations of plotting a terrorist killing and involvement in the functions of a terrorist group all live in Antwerp, as stated by the prosecutor's office. They were born in the early 2000s.
On late Thursday, one person was let go, while the other suspects were undergoing questioning and likely to appear in court on Friday.
Legal authorities stated that the individuals were taken into custody after a court official authorized searches of their dwellings in the location by law enforcement supported by explosive sniffer dogs.
In the course of these raids that they discovered a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, legal representative Ann Fransen announced at a media briefing on that day.
Raids also revealed a container of metal spheres and a additive manufacturing device, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she noted.
The official said that there had been 80 extremist probes opened in Belgium so far this year - exceeding the overall count of cases in 2024.
In April, five individuals were convicted for a previous year's plan to strike De Wever while he was serving as the mayor of Antwerp.
