Suspected Plan to Strike Belgian PM Thwarted
Belgian authorities have arrested three suspects accused of plotting an strike on the country's prime minister, Bart de Wever.
Prosecutors described the suspected plot as a "jihadist-inspired terrorist attack" targeting the prime minister and fellow elected representatives.
During investigations conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, close to the PM's personal dwelling, officials found a suspected improvised explosive device and indications that the individuals were intending to employ a UAV.
While the intended targets of the strike were not officially named by the prosecutor's office, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was among them.
"The news of a intended strike directed toward Premier Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the official wrote in a update on online platforms on the day of the arrests.
"It emphasizes that we are confronting a very real extremist danger and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three suspects detained on charges of attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group all are based in the Antwerp region, per the legal authorities. They were with years of birth in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
As of the evening of the arrests, one person was freed, while the remaining two were under interrogation and likely to face a judge on Friday.
Legal authorities said that the suspects were arrested after a court official directed raids of their homes in the urban area by officials supported by bomb detection canines.
It was during these investigations that they located a object which appeared to be an IED, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a media briefing on that day.
Searches also revealed a "bag of steel balls" and a three-dimensional printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she added.
The official disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations launched in the nation in the current year - exceeding the full amount of investigations in last year.
Earlier this year, five suspects were sentenced for a scheme last year to target the prime minister while he was holding the position of the city's chief executive.