Reported Plan to Attack Belgian Prime Minister Foiled
Belgium's law enforcement have taken into custody three people accused of plotting an assault on the government's prime minister, Bart de Wever.
Legal authorities characterized the suspected plan as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the prime minister and fellow politicians.
During raids conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, near the PM's private residence, officials uncovered a potential IED and evidence that the accused were preparing to use a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the prospective targets of the attack were not disclosed by name by the legal authorities, Vice Premier Maxime Prevot confirmed that the prime minister was one of them.
"Reports of a intended assault directed toward Prime Minister Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the deputy prime minister wrote in a update on social media on Thursday.
"It emphasizes that we are confronting a serious extremist danger and that we have to remain vigilant," he added.
The three suspects arrested on suspicion of attempted terrorist murder and engagement in the operations of a jihadist network all reside in Antwerp, per the federal prosecutors. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.
As of late Thursday, one suspect was let go, while the remaining two were undergoing questioning and expected to be presented before a court on Friday.
The prosecution revealed that the accused were taken into custody after a judge ordered searches of their homes in the city by officials assisted by explosive sniffer dogs.
In the course of these raids that they discovered a device which appeared to be an IED, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen announced at a news conference on that day.
Investigations also found a collection of ball bearings and a 3D printer, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she added.
The prosecutor stated that there had been 80 extremist probes opened in the country this year - exceeding the total number of cases in last year.
During the spring, five suspects were convicted for a previous year's plan to attack De Wever while he was holding the position of the mayor of Antwerp.
