Suspected Plan to Attack Belgian Prime Minister Foiled
Belgian police have taken into custody three suspects suspected of plotting an strike on the country's premier, Bart de Wever.
Legal authorities labeled the reported plan as a "jihadist-inspired terrorist attack" targeting the premier and other politicians.
During searches conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, close to the prime minister's personal dwelling, authorities found a suspected homemade bomb and indications that the suspects were planning to use a drone.
While the intended targets of the attack were not disclosed by name by the legal authorities, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that de Wever was among them.
"Information of a intended assault targeting PM Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," Prevot stated in a message on online platforms on Thursday.
"It emphasizes that we are confronting a genuine terrorist threat and that we have to remain vigilant," he continued.
The three suspects detained on allegations of plotting a terrorist killing and involvement in the activities of a jihadist network all are based in the Antwerp region, as stated by the federal prosecutors. They were had birth years in the early 2000s.
On late Thursday, one suspect was let go, while the remaining two were under interrogation and likely to appear in court on the next day.
Federal prosecutors revealed that the individuals were arrested after a court official ordered raids of their residences in the location by officials backed by explosives-trained dogs.
In the course of these searches that they located a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, federal prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a press conference on the day of the events.
Raids also uncovered a "bag of steel balls" and a 3D printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she added.
The official disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations initiated in the nation this year - more than the full amount of cases in last year.
In April, five individuals were sentenced for a scheme last year to target De Wever while he was holding the position of Antwerp's mayor.
