Belgian police apprehended seven individuals on Thursday on the grounds that they were allegedly planning a 'terrorist attack', according to federal prosecutors. The prosecutors also mentioned that 14 nationwide raids were executed. A spokesperson for the prosecutors' office stated that there is currently no evidence linking these suspects to the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will commence with a ceremony on Friday under heightened security measures. The spokesperson, Arnaud d'Oultremont, informed AFP that although specific locations or targets of the planned attack are not yet known, the evidence gathered suggests an attack was indeed being prepared. The arrested suspects were scheduled to appear before an anti-terrorist judge on Thursday, who had ordered the raids, to decide whether they should be held in custody. The prosecution service declared in a statement that all the suspects are under suspicion for involvement in a terrorist group's operations, financing terrorism, and preparing a terrorist attack. The police operations across Belgium, including in Brussels, Antwerp, Liege, Courtrai, and Menin, were conducted under warrants issued by the judge based in Antwerp. The prosecutors have not disclosed any further details at this juncture. Belgium experienced a traumatic event in 2016 when suicide bombings at its airport and metro system resulted in 32 deaths and hundreds of injuries. This incident followed the attacks in Paris the previous year, which claimed 130 lives. The sole surviving member of the jihadist cell responsible for the Paris attacks, Belgian-born French citizen Salah Abdeslam, was also convicted last year for his role in the Brussels attacks.
![Belgian Police Arrest Seven Suspected of Preparing Terrorist Attack Belgian Police Arrest Seven Suspected of Preparing Terrorist Attack](https://world-arabia.com/storage/images/news/crops/news-promo/E1htKksUQnh029jzX0Ug2JzEz0laeYUM0oT7q42T.webp)
Text: Lara Palmer
25.07.2024
No Evidence Links Suspects to 2024 Paris Olympics; Raids Conducted Across Belgium