Media: Belgian PM potential target in foiled Antwerp attack

Three young men have been detained in Antwerp on suspicion of planning assassination attempts targeting politicians, Belga news agency reported, citing the prosecutor’s office.

The suspects are 18, 23, and 24 years old. Authorities said they were preparing “a terrorist attack inspired by jihadist ideology.”

Law enforcement discovered materials for constructing an improvised explosive device (IED) during searches. Prosecutors believe the suspects intended to attach the device to a drone for the attack.

In one suspect’s residence, investigators found a device “resembling an improvised explosive device” along with a small bag of steel balls. In the second suspect’s possession, authorities recovered a 3D printer, which is believed to have been used to manufacture components for the attack. Federal prosecutors confirmed that the planned target was likely a drone equipped with a “payload attached to it.”

Following the searches, one of the detainees was released, while the remaining two are scheduled to appear before an investigating judge on October 10.

Belgian media reported that the intended target may have been Prime Minister Bart de Wever, though officials have not confirmed this. The searches took place just a few hundred meters from his private residence, according to Belga.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévost expressed that he was “deeply shocked” by the news of a potential attack on the Prime Minister.

Journalists also noted that de Wever had previously been the target of an assassination attempt during his tenure as mayor of Antwerp, which authorities successfully prevented.

By Tamilla Hasanova