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Belgian police arrest 12 suspects in major antiterror operation
BRUSSELS : Belgian police arrested 12 suspects in a major anti-terror operation overnight amid security alerts in Belgium and France around the Euro 2016 soccer
BRUSSELS : Belgian police arrested 12 suspects in a major anti-terror operation overnight amid security alerts in Belgium and France around the Euro 2016 soccer tournament and just three months after Islamist bombers wrought carnage in Brussels.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel chaired a meeting of the government’s security council - which includes the ministers of defence, foreign affairs, home affairs and justice - on Saturday after the raids and said soccer-related events would go on as planned with extra security measures.
“We want to continue living normally,” Michel told a news conference. “The situation is under control.”
“We are extremely vigilant, we are monitoring the situation hour by hour and we will continue with determination the fight against extremism, radicalisation and terrorism,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said 40 people had been taken in for questioning and 12 among them were arrested “in connection with a criminal investigation concerning terrorism.”
“The investigating judge will decide on their possible detention later today. The investigatory results necessitated an immediate intervention. The investigation continues,” it said in a statement.
No weapons or explosives had been found during the overnight searches, which also involved 152 garage lockups.
SOCCER MATCHES TARGETED?
Flemish public broadcaster VTM said the people arrested overnight were suspected of planning an attack in Brussels this weekend during one of Belgium’s soccer matches. Areas where fans watch matches in Brussels were potential targets, as well as other crowded areas such as shopping centres and stations, Belgian media reported.
The Belgian crisis centre in charge of coordinating security responses decided not to raise the security level to the maximum that would indicate an imminent threat of attack, Michel said. Public broadcaster RTBF said Belgium’s crisis centre on Friday had placed several government ministers, including Michel, under heightened protection.
Michel said extra security measures had been taken for some people but did not name them. With the Euro 2016 soccer tournament underway in neighbouring France, Europe is on high security alert. Islamist suicide bombers killed 32 people in Brussels in March following attacks in Paris last November in which 130 people died.
Investigators have found links between the Brussels and Paris attackers, some of whom were based in Belgium.
