Belgium aims to start paying better attention to people on the terrorist watch list, as a new bill should make sure that those on the list will be systematically screened twice a year and the police will be able to share information about the people on the list with social workers.
At the moment, some 700 people are on that list.
In practice, it concerns a database with names and information about extremists and terrorists who are being monitored in Belgium that was set up in 2016 after the terror attacks in Brussels Airport Zaventem and the Maelbeek metro station.
This week, this list proved its usefulness again, as four people on it were arrested for suspected involvement in the preparations for a terrorist attack in Belgium, which reportedly targeted Antwerp mayor and leader of the Flemish rightwing N-VA party, Bart De Wever.
Federal Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne explained that while the plans were not concrete, Belgium's intelligence services "took no chances and intervened disruptively as soon as there was any talk of violence."
Additionally, some of the people who were arrested were known to the police for being Islamic extremists who had been "radicalised at a rapid pace."
"This rapid radicalisation shows us that we have to respond even more quickly. It is no longer the case in the past that terrorists are encouraged to commit an attack via IS. Individuals find networks on the internet that are fueled by conspiracy theories and are sometimes radicalised within a few weeks."
The impact of social media cannot be underestimated, according to Van Quickenborne, which is why constant monitoring is so important.
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