Federal prosecutors revealed today (Tuesday) that the Belgian authorities have arrested 8 people following raids on suspicion of planning to carry out an attack inside the country, indicating that the possible target of the attack is not yet clear, and they did not comment on the stage of planning the attack.
The police carried out raids, on Monday, inside 5 properties in Brussels and Antwerp, and in the city of Eupen near the German border, and arrested 5 men, including at least two suspected of involvement in planning an attack, and in a separate operation, the police raided 3 other properties in Brussels and near and arrested 3 others on suspicion of involvement in planning an attack.
"There is a link between the two files, but further investigation will be needed to show the link between the two groups," prosecutors said in a statement, noting that the judges will decide whether the eight detainees will face charges and remain in detention for a longer period.
A number of the perpetrators of the 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people, resided in Belgium, and Brussels itself was the target of double bombings at its airport and in a subway in March 2016 when 32 people were killed.
Okaz (Jeddah) @okaz_online