Reported Plot to Strike Belgian PM Foiled
Belgium's authorities have arrested three people accused of conspiring to carry out an attack on the country's premier, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors labeled the reported scheme as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the prime minister and other government officials.
During raids conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, in proximity to the premier's private residence, officials uncovered a potential improvised explosive device and indications that the individuals were planning to deploy a UAV.
While the planned victims of the assault were not publicly identified by the legal authorities, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot stated that de Wever was included in the targets.
"Information of a premeditated assault directed toward Premier Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the official wrote in a update on social media on Thursday.
"It emphasizes that we are dealing with a very real terrorism risk and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three suspects detained on allegations of attempted terrorist murder and engagement in the operations of a extremist organization all live in the city of Antwerp, per the prosecutor's office. They were born in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
On Thursday evening, one suspect was released, while two others were undergoing questioning and expected to face a judge on the following day.
The prosecution revealed that the suspects were detained after a court official authorized searches of their residences in the city by officials supported by bomb detection canines.
In the course of these searches that they found a item which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", legal representative Ann Fransen said at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Investigations also found a collection of ball bearings and a three-dimensional printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she noted.
The official said that there had been 80 extremist probes initiated in the country this year - more than the total number of investigations in 2024.
Earlier this year, five people were found guilty for a 2023 plot to strike De Wever while he was holding the position of Antwerp's mayor.
