Alleged Plan to Attack Belgian Prime Minister Foiled
Belgium's authorities have detained three people accused of conspiring to carry out an assault on the country's prime minister, Bart de Wever.
Legal authorities characterized the reported plot as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the PM and additional politicians.
During raids conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, close to the premier's personal dwelling, investigators discovered a suspected homemade bomb and indications that the accused were planning to deploy a drone.
While the prospective targets of the strike were not disclosed by name by the legal authorities, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot confirmed that de Wever was one of them.
"The news of a planned attack targeting Premier Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," Prevot declared in a post on X on Thursday.
"It emphasizes that we are facing a serious terrorism risk 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 extremist organization all reside in the Antwerp region, per the federal prosecutors. They were had birth years in 2001, 2002 and 2007.
By late Thursday, one suspect was let go, while two others were undergoing questioning and likely to appear in court on the following day.
Federal prosecutors said that the individuals were detained after a magistrate authorized raids of their homes in the location by officials supported by explosive sniffer dogs.
Throughout these searches that they discovered a item which appeared to be an IED, federal prosecutor Ann Fransen stated at a media briefing on Thursday.
Raids also found a collection of ball bearings and a 3D printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she added.
The official said that there had been 80 extremist probes launched in the nation this year - exceeding the full amount of investigations in 2024.
During the spring, five suspects were found guilty for a previous year's plan to target Belgium's leader while he was holding the position of the city's chief executive.
