Alleged Plan to Strike Belgian Premier Foiled
Belgium's police have arrested three people suspected of plotting an attack on the nation's PM, Bart de Wever.
Prosecutors described the alleged plot as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the PM and fellow elected representatives.
During searches conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, close to the premier's personal dwelling, investigators discovered a suspected improvised explosive device and indications that the accused were preparing to deploy a unmanned aerial vehicle.
While the planned victims of the strike were not publicly identified by the federal prosecutors, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot confirmed that Belgium's leader was included in the targets.
"Information of a planned assault targeting PM Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the official wrote in a update on online platforms on Thursday.
"It highlights that we are dealing with a genuine extremist danger and that we have to remain vigilant," he continued.
The three people arrested on allegations of attempted terrorist murder and involvement in the functions of a terrorist group all live in Antwerp, as stated by the legal authorities. They were with years of birth in the early 2000s.
On the evening of the arrests, one of the individuals was released, while two others were still being questioned and likely to face a judge on Friday.
Federal prosecutors revealed that the suspects were taken into custody after a court official authorized inspections of their dwellings in the urban area by police officers supported by explosive sniffer dogs.
It was during these searches that they discovered a object which closely resembled a homemade bomb, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a media briefing on the day of the events.
Searches also revealed a "bag of steel balls" and a three-dimensional printer, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she continued.
Fransen stated that there had been 80 extremist probes initiated in the country so far this year - exceeding the total number of cases in the previous year.
During the spring, five people were found guilty for a previous year's plan to strike De Wever while he was serving as the city's chief executive.
