🔗 Share this article Alleged Plan to Target Belgian Prime Minister Thwarted Belgian authorities have arrested three people suspected of plotting an strike on the government's prime minister, Bart de Wever. Federal prosecutors labeled the reported plot as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the premier and fellow elected representatives. During raids conducted in Antwerp's Deurne district, in proximity to the prime minister's home, investigators uncovered a potential IED and proof that the individuals were preparing to employ a drone. While the intended targets of the attack were not publicly identified by the federal prosecutors, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was included in the targets. "The news of a planned assault aimed at Prime Minister Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," the official declared in a post on X on Thursday. "This underscores that we are dealing with a very real terrorism risk and that we have to remain vigilant," he concluded. The three people detained on allegations of plotting a terrorist killing and participation in the activities of a jihadist network all reside in Antwerp, according to the legal authorities. They were with years of birth in the early 2000s. On Thursday evening, one of the individuals was let go, while the remaining two were still being questioned and likely to face a judge on Friday. Legal authorities stated that the individuals were detained after a judge authorized inspections of their dwellings in the urban area by police officers assisted by explosive sniffer dogs. It was during these raids that they located a item which appeared to be an IED, federal prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a news conference on Thursday. Raids also uncovered a container of metal spheres and a additive manufacturing device, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she added. The prosecutor said that there had been 80 extremist probes opened in the country this year - surpassing the full amount of investigations in last year. During the spring, five suspects were sentenced for a previous year's plan to strike Belgium's leader while he was holding the position of the city's chief executive.