Suspected Plot to Attack Belgian PM Thwarted
Belgian authorities have detained three people suspected of planning an attack on the government's PM, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors described the alleged plan as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the premier and fellow elected representatives.
During raids conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, near the PM's private residence, authorities uncovered a alleged IED and evidence that the accused were preparing to deploy a drone.
While the intended targets of the strike were not officially named by the prosecutor's office, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot stated that Belgium's leader was among them.
"Reports of a premeditated assault aimed at PM Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," Prevot wrote in a post on X on the investigation day.
"This underscores that we are facing a genuine terrorism risk and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three individuals arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related attempted murder and involvement in the operations of a jihadist network all live in the Antwerp region, as stated by the prosecutor's office. They were with years of birth in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
On Thursday evening, one person was let go, while the remaining two were undergoing questioning and scheduled to be presented before a court on Friday.
Federal prosecutors said that the individuals were detained after a court official directed raids of their dwellings in the city by law enforcement supported by explosive sniffer dogs.
In the course of these investigations that they located a device which appeared to be an IED, federal prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Searches also revealed a container of metal spheres and a 3D printer, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she noted.
The prosecutor disclosed that there had been 80 extremist probes launched in Belgium in the current year - exceeding the total number of cases in 2024.
Earlier this year, five people were found guilty for a 2023 plot to target Belgium's leader while he was serving as the mayor of Antwerp.