Alleged Plot to Strike Belgian Prime Minister Thwarted
Belgium's law enforcement have detained three people accused of plotting an attack on the government's prime minister, Bart de Wever.
Federal prosecutors described the suspected scheme as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the prime minister and fellow elected representatives.
During searches conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, in proximity to the prime minister's private residence, officials found a potential IED and proof that the accused were preparing to use a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the planned victims of the attack were not officially named by the prosecutor's office, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot stated that the prime minister was included in the targets.
"The news of a premeditated attack directed toward Prime Minister Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the deputy prime minister stated in a message on online platforms on the day of the arrests.
"It highlights that we are facing a very real terrorism risk and that we have to stay alert," he continued.
The three people taken into custody on suspicion of plotting a terrorist killing and involvement in the functions of a jihadist network all reside in the city of Antwerp, according to the legal authorities. They were with years of birth in the early 2000s.
On the evening of the arrests, one of the individuals was let go, while the remaining two were undergoing questioning and expected to be presented before a court on the following day.
The prosecution stated that the individuals were taken into custody after a magistrate ordered inspections of their residences in the urban area by police officers supported by bomb detection canines.
It was during these raids that they located a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, legal representative Ann Fransen announced at a news conference on that day.
Raids also found a "bag of steel balls" and a 3D printer, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she continued.
The official disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations launched in the nation in the current year - surpassing the overall count of instances in 2024.
During the spring, five suspects were sentenced for a previous year's plan to strike De Wever while he was holding the position of the city's chief executive.
