Belgium detains 7 on suspicion of planning terror attack

All seven allegedly belonged to a group of “strong supporters” of the Islamic State extremist group.

By Associated Press

Authorities have detained seven people, most of them Chechen origin, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in Belgium, the federal prosecutor’s office said Thursday.

The office said in a statement that the suspects had not yet selected a precise target but police decided to pick them 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 said all seven allegedly belonged to a group of “strong supporters” of the Islamic State extremist group.

“Possible charges are attempted terrorist assassination, participation at the activities of a terrorist group and preparation of a terrorist attack,” according to the statement.

Belgium was hit by several terror attacks in the past decade, including suicide bombings in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured hundreds more in the Brussels subway and airport.