The investigation into suspicions of a “terrorist attack” in Belgium is progressing. Seven people, five of Belgian nationality as well as a Turk and a Bulgarian, were imprisoned, announced the federal prosecutor’s office.
These seven people had been arrested Monday evening during a dragnet in the jihadist movement targeting radicalized young people. Most are in their twenties. The federal prosecutor’s office announced eight arrests on Tuesday morning. One of the suspects has been released.
Antwerp and Brussels
The arrests took place in the context of two ongoing investigations in Brussels and Antwerp, two files in which there was talk of a planned attack and comprising “links between them” according to the prosecution. The potential targets of these terrorist projects have not been determined at this stage.
On Wednesday, four arrest warrants were issued by the investigating judge in the investigation carried out in Antwerp. They relate to acts of “participation in the activities of a terrorist group”, “preparation of a terrorist offence”, “dissemination of a message with the intention of inciting the commission of a terrorist offence” and “attempt assassination in a terrorist context”, according to the same source.
In the case investigated in Brussels, three other suspects were imprisoned, charged solely with “participation in the activities of a terrorist group”, further indicates the prosecution. Finally, a suspect is also accused of “preparing a terrorist offence” and “disseminating a message with the intention of inciting the commission of a terrorist offence”. The seven imprisoned suspects will appear next Monday in the council chambers, the court responsible for overseeing pre-trial detention.