Suspected Plot to Target Belgian PM Prevented
Belgium's law enforcement have taken into custody three individuals accused of conspiring to carry out an attack on the country's prime minister, Bart de Wever.
Prosecutors described the suspected plot as a "jihadist-inspired terrorist attack" targeting the premier and fellow elected representatives.
During raids conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, in proximity to the prime minister's personal dwelling, investigators discovered a alleged improvised explosive device and indications that the suspects were intending to deploy a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the prospective targets of the strike were not publicly identified by the prosecutor's office, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot revealed that de Wever was among them.
"Reports of a intended assault directed toward PM Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the official stated in a message on social media on the day of the arrests.
"This underscores that we are dealing with a very real terrorist threat and that we have to keep watchful," he concluded.
The three suspects arrested on suspicion of plotting a terrorist killing and involvement in the functions of a terrorist group all reside in the Antwerp region, according to the legal authorities. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
As of Thursday evening, one suspect was released, while the other suspects were undergoing questioning and scheduled to be presented before a court on the next day.
Legal authorities revealed that the accused were taken into custody after a court official directed inspections of their homes in the location by officials assisted by explosive sniffer dogs.
It was during these searches that they located a object which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", lead prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a press conference on the day of the events.
Raids also found a collection of ball bearings and a three-dimensional printer, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she continued.
The official disclosed that there had been eighty counter-terrorism cases launched in the country this year - more than the full amount of instances in last year.
In April, five people were found guilty for a scheme last year to strike De Wever while he was serving as the city's chief executive.
