Reported Plan to Strike Belgian PM Prevented
Belgian law enforcement have arrested three individuals accused of conspiring to carry out an strike on the government's prime minister, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors characterized the alleged scheme as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the PM and other politicians.
During raids conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, near the PM's personal dwelling, officials uncovered a alleged homemade bomb and evidence that the individuals were planning to employ a UAV.
While the prospective targets of the assault were not officially named by the prosecutor's office, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot confirmed that de Wever was one of them.
"Reports of a intended attack directed toward PM Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the deputy prime minister wrote in a post on online platforms on the investigation day.
"It emphasizes that we are dealing with a serious terrorist threat and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three suspects taken into custody on charges of terrorism-related attempted murder and participation in the operations of a terrorist group all reside in Antwerp, according to the legal authorities. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
On late Thursday, one of the individuals was let go, while the other suspects were still being questioned and scheduled to be presented before a court on the following day.
Legal authorities revealed that the individuals were detained after a judge authorized inspections of their residences in the urban area by police officers supported by explosive sniffer dogs.
Throughout these investigations that they located a object which appeared to be an IED, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a news conference on the day of the events.
Investigations also uncovered a "bag of steel balls" and a additive manufacturing device, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she added.
Fransen said that there had been eighty counter-terrorism cases launched in the country so far this year - more than the overall count of cases in the previous year.
In April, five individuals were convicted for a previous year's plan to target Belgium's leader while he was serving as Antwerp's mayor.
