đź”— Share this article Alleged Scheme to Attack Belgian Prime Minister Prevented Belgium's law enforcement have arrested three individuals suspected of conspiring to carry out an assault on the government's prime minister, Bart de Wever. Prosecutors characterized the reported scheme as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the premier and additional government officials. During raids conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, close to the premier's personal dwelling, investigators discovered a alleged improvised explosive device and indications that the suspects were preparing to use a UAV. While the prospective targets of the attack were not publicly identified by the legal authorities, Second-in-command Maxime Prevot stated that the prime minister was included in the targets. "The news of a intended attack aimed at Prime Minister Bart de Wever is deeply alarming," Prevot wrote in a post on X on Thursday. "It emphasizes that we are dealing with a genuine terrorist threat and that we have to remain vigilant," he concluded. The three individuals arrested on charges of terrorism-related attempted murder and participation in the operations of a terrorist group all are based in the city of Antwerp, per the legal authorities. They were born in the early 2000s. By the evening of the arrests, one person was let go, while the remaining two were under interrogation and expected to appear in court on the next day. Legal authorities revealed that the suspects were taken into custody after a judge ordered searches of their homes in the city by law enforcement supported by bomb detection canines. In the course of these searches that they found a item which closely resembled a homemade bomb, lead prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a news conference on Thursday. Raids also uncovered a collection of ball bearings and a 3D printer, with signs of drone weaponization plans, she noted. Fransen disclosed that there had been 80 extremist probes opened in the nation in the current year - more than the overall count of cases in last year. Earlier this year, five individuals were found guilty for a scheme last year to strike De Wever while he was holding the position of Antwerp's mayor.