🔗 Share this article

Belgian authorities have taken into custody three suspects allegedly involved in planning an strike on the country's PM, Bart de Wever.

Prosecutors characterized the suspected plan as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the prime minister and fellow politicians.

During searches conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, close to the prime minister's home, officials uncovered a suspected IED and evidence that the individuals were intending to use a drone.

While the planned victims of the attack were not officially named by the federal prosecutors, Vice Premier Maxime Prevot revealed that Belgium's leader was among them.

"Reports of a intended assault aimed at Prime Minister Bart de Wever is deeply alarming," the deputy prime minister declared in a message on online platforms on the day of the arrests.

"It emphasizes that we are facing a serious extremist danger and that we have to keep watchful," he added.

The three people detained on suspicion of terrorism-related attempted murder and engagement in the operations of a extremist organization all live in the Antwerp region, according to the legal authorities. They were born in 2001, 2002 and 2007.

As of Thursday evening, one of the individuals was released, while the remaining two were still being questioned and expected to appear in court on the next day.

The prosecution revealed that the individuals were arrested after a magistrate authorized searches of their dwellings in the urban area by police officers assisted by explosive sniffer dogs.

Throughout these investigations that they discovered a object which appeared to be an IED, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a press conference on Thursday.

Investigations also found a container of metal spheres and a three-dimensional printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she added.

The official disclosed that there had been 80 extremist probes initiated in the country this year - surpassing the overall count of investigations in last year.

In April, five suspects were sentenced for a 2023 plot to strike the prime minister while he was acting as the city's chief executive.