Reported Plot to Attack Belgian Premier Thwarted
Belgian authorities have taken into custody three suspects suspected of planning an assault on the government's PM, Bart de Wever.
Prosecutors described the reported plan as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the premier and other government officials.
During investigations conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, near the PM's home, authorities uncovered a suspected IED and indications that the suspects were preparing to employ a drone.
While the intended targets of the attack were not officially named by the federal prosecutors, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was included in the targets.
"The news of a planned strike directed toward Prime Minister Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the deputy prime minister declared in a message on social media on Thursday.
"It highlights that we are facing a genuine terrorist threat and that we have to keep watchful," he added.
The three people detained on allegations of plotting a terrorist killing and participation in the functions of a extremist organization all reside in the city of Antwerp, per the legal authorities. They were with years of birth in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
On the evening of the arrests, one suspect was let go, while the other suspects were under interrogation and likely to appear in court on the following day.
Federal prosecutors revealed that the accused were detained after a court official authorized raids of their dwellings in the location by police officers supported by explosive sniffer dogs.
Throughout these raids that they located a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Raids also uncovered a container of metal spheres and a three-dimensional printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she continued.
The official stated that there had been 80 extremist probes initiated in the nation this year - more than the total number of investigations in the previous year.
In April, five suspects were sentenced for a previous year's plan to strike Belgium's leader while he was acting as the city's chief executive.
