Belgian police arrest three on charges of planning a drone attack on the Prime Minister Politics news

Evidence was found in a building hundreds of meters from Prime Minister Bart de Wever’s residence in Antwerp.

Belgian authorities said they have arrested three people in connection with a plot to attack Prime Minister Bart de Wever and other politicians using explosives carried on drones.

Federal prosecutor Anne Fransen announced the arrests on Thursday, and said the group was being investigated for “attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group,” according to Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.

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“Some elements indicate that the suspects intended to carry out a jihad-inspired terrorist attack against political figures,” Fransen told reporters.

“There are also indications that the suspects were aiming to build a drone to which a payload could be attached,” she added.

Fransen did not say who the intended targets were, but social media posts by senior figures in De Wever’s government suggest he was on the list.

“The news of a planned attack targeting Prime Minister Bart de Wever is extremely shocking,” Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot wrote in a post on the X website.

He added: “I express my full support for the Prime Minister, his wife and his family, as well as my gratitude to the security and justice services whose quick actions prevented the worst from happening.”

Defense Secretary Theo Franken shared a similar message on X.

“Prime Minister Bart, all our support is for you and your family. Thanks to the security services. Never give up,” he said.

De Wever did not immediately comment on the case.

The Belgian newspaper Gazete Van Antwerp said that police found explosives in a building in Antwerp, hundreds of meters from De Wever’s residence.

The newspaper said the evidence includes an improvised explosive device still under construction, a bag of steel balls, and a 3D printer. Police believe the group was trying to build a drone capable of carrying an explosive payload.

The authorities did not reveal the names of the suspects, but said they were born in 2001, 2002 and 2007.

One of the suspects was released, according to Fransen, and two are scheduled to appear before an investigating judge on Friday.

The Gazete Van Antwerp newspaper said De Wever had been the subject of previous threats. Earlier this year, a Belgian court convicted five people of preparing to carry out an attack against him.