Belgian authorities have arrested seven individuals who are believed to be supporting the Islamic State (IS) group and plotting a terrorist attack, according to prosecutors. Most of the suspects are ethnic Chechens and three of them are Belgian nationals.
The targets of the planned attack have not yet been determined, but all of the arrested suspects are strong supporters of IS and were actively searching for weapons to carry out the attack. The police, supported by elite units, raided nine locations across several towns in western Belgium.
The arrested individuals are suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in Belgium and possible charges include attempted terrorist assassination, participation in terrorist group activities, and preparation of a terrorist attack.
The investigating judge specialized in terrorism cases will decide if there is sufficient evidence to charge the suspects. The raids took place in the city of Ghent and the smaller towns of Roeselare, Menen, Ostend, and Wevelgem.
Chechnya, a Russian republic in the North Caucasus region, has a Muslim majority population and a pro-Kremlin leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, who has sent his militia to Ukraine to fight in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for past terrorist attacks in Belgium, including suicide bombings in March 2016 that targeted Brussels’ airport and the capital’s metro, killing 32 people and injuring hundreds.
These attacks occurred months after the November 2015 Paris attacks, which were planned by the same IS cell and killed 130 people. Prosecutors have not yet determined the exact target of the planned attack in Belgium, but they believe it was an institution located in the country.
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