Alleged Plot to Target Belgian Premier Foiled
Belgian law enforcement have taken into custody three individuals allegedly involved in conspiring to carry out an attack on the country's premier, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors described the alleged plot as a "jihadist-inspired terrorist attack" targeting the premier and other elected representatives.
During searches conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, near the premier's home, investigators uncovered a suspected IED and proof that the suspects were planning to deploy a drone.
While the intended targets of the assault were not officially named by the legal authorities, Vice Premier Maxime Prevot revealed that Belgium's leader was among them.
"The news of a intended strike targeting Premier Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," Prevot stated in a post on online platforms on the day of the arrests.
"It highlights that we are confronting a very real terrorism risk and that we have to remain vigilant," he concluded.
The three individuals detained on suspicion of terrorism-related attempted murder and involvement in the functions of a extremist organization all live in the city of Antwerp, per the federal prosecutors. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
On late Thursday, one of the individuals was released, while the other suspects were still being questioned and expected to appear in court on Friday.
The prosecution revealed that the individuals were arrested after a court official authorized raids of their residences in the location by officials assisted by explosive sniffer dogs.
In the course of these searches that they found a item which appeared to be an IED, federal prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a news conference on that day.
Raids also revealed a collection of ball bearings and a 3D printer, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she continued.
The official stated that there had been eighty counter-terrorism cases opened in the country so far this year - exceeding the full amount of cases in last year.
Earlier this year, five individuals were found guilty for a previous year's plan to strike the prime minister while he was serving as the mayor of Antwerp.
