Authorities have detained seven people, most of them of Chechen origin, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in Belgium, the federal prosecutor’s office says.
The office says in a statement that the suspects had not yet selected a precise target but police decided to pick them up for questioning anyway.
“All of them are suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in Belgium,” the statement said. “The examining magistrate will decide at a later stage whether to bring them before him and possibly issue an arrest warrant.”
Three of the suspects are Belgian nationals, according to federal prosecutors. The office’s statement says all seven allegedly belonged to a group of “strong supporters” of the Islamic State extremist group.
“Possible charges are attempted terrorist assassination, participation in the activities of a terrorist group and preparation of a terrorist attack,” according to the statement.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
