Belgian police thwarted a jihadist-inspired plot to assassinate PM Bart De Wever, arresting suspects with explosives and a drone.
Belgian security forces have foiled a chilling jihadist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Bart De Wever and other top political figures, authorities confirmed Thursday. The federal public prosecutor’s office revealed that two suspects were arrested in Antwerp in connection with a planned terrorist attack inspired by radical Islamist ideology.
Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot expressed deep alarm on X (formerly Twitter): “The news of a planned attack targeting Prime Minister Bart De Wever is extremely shocking. It highlights that we face a very real terrorist threat and must remain vigilant.”
Belgium’s Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden praised the swift police intervention, stating that “a potentially catastrophic attack may have been prevented” just in time.
Searches of the suspects’ residences uncovered a bomb-like device, a bag of steel balls, and a drone intended for the assault — evidence of a sophisticated, premeditated strike. Authorities confirmed that the suspects were being investigated for attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.
The foiled plot underscores Europe’s ongoing vulnerability to jihadist terror networks, which continue to metastasize across the continent. Belgium, still scarred by the 2016 Brussels bombings that killed 32 people, has faced recurring Islamist threats — including the 2023 murder of two Swedish nationals by an ISIS sympathizer during a Brussels soccer match.
Among those arrested were one adult and three minors, with the adult formally charged with participation in terrorist activities. Investigators say the planned attack sought to “send a message of fear to political leaders and Western democracies.”
The attempted assassination of De Wever — a staunch opponent of radical Islam and defender of Israel’s right to self-defense — highlights the escalating Islamist threat facing Europe, a grim reminder that the war against terror did not end in the Middle East — it has reached European capitals once again.
