Belgian police detained three suspects over a suspected plot to carry out a terrorist attack targeting politicians, after discovering a home-made bomb in one of the suspects’ homes, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
During a series of searches in Antwerp, authorities found “an improvised device” that was not operational at the time, along with a bag of steel balls and a 3D printer believed to have been used to manufacture parts for the planned attack.
“There are also indications that the suspects intended to build a drone capable of carrying a payload,” prosecutors said.
The three suspects, described as young adults born in 2001, 2002 and 2007, were taken into custody following searches carried out by anti-terrorism officers supported by explosives detection dogs.
The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into “attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group,” the prosecutors added.
While prosecutors did not name potential targets, Belgian media reported that Prime Minister Bart De Wever, a former mayor of Antwerp, may have been among them. Authorities declined to confirm the reports.
Two suspects were still being questioned late Thursday and were expected to appear before an investigating judge Friday, while the third was released.
Belgian justice authorities and police have been under strain in recent months due to a series of shootings in the capital Brussels, and drug-related crime in Antwerp, one of Europe's major shipping hubs.
The Belgian justice system was already creaking under its load, with too few judges and court personnel to handle cases ranging from simple divorce proceedings to major crimes. Threats to officials are also a danger. A former justice minister and a senior prosecutor were forced to live under police protection.
In Thursday's statement, the prosecutors appealed to the government for more support, saying that it's "important to ensure that the police and the judiciary always have sufficient capacity to guarantee the security of our society."
They noted that around 80 new terrorism investigations have been opened by the federal public prosecutor's office this year, already more than the total number of cases for 2024.
Belgium's biggest ever attack remains strong in the public memory. Thirty-two people were killed and hundreds wounded on March 22, 2016, when suicide bombers detonated explosive vests at the main Brussels airport and a central commuter line.
