Seven people were arrested on Thursday in East and West Flanders for planning an attack, the federal prosecutor’s office said, confirming a report by VRT Nieuws.
The arrests were linked to an investigation by the prosecutor’s office. A total of nine searches were conducted, including in Roeselare (2), Menin (3), Ostend, Wevelgem and Ghent, the office said in a statement.
The suspects did not yet have a specific target for their attack, but were actively looking for weapons. Most of the arrested persons are Chechens. Three of them also have Belgian nationality.
The seven belong to a group of fervent supporters of the terrorist group Islamic State, the federal prosecutor’s office stated.
The investigating judge will decide later whether to bring them to court and possibly issue an arrest warrant. The potential charges are attempted terrorist murder, participation in the activities of a terrorist group and preparation of a terrorist attack.
As a result of the searches, the overall threat risk in Belgium is maintained at level 2 on a scale of 4, which means the threat is considered medium, the Coordination Body for Threat Analysis (OCAM) said.
