Belgian media reports that the arrests were a precaution before the Paris Olympics. The suspects are believed to have had connections to the terrorist organization Isis-K.
On Friday, the Belgian authorities arrested three people of Chechen background on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
The accused are suspected of being members of the terrorist organization Isis-K. Isis-K is a branch organization of the extremist Islamic Isis operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Friday’s arrests follow raids across Belgium on Thursday, in which four other people of Chechen origin were also arrested. The persons arrested on Thursday have since been released.
According to the Belgian public prosecutor’s office, there were no indications that the suspects arrested on Friday had already chosen a specific target for their planned attack. According to Belgian media, however, the arrests were a precaution during the Paris Olympics.
The Belgian media also reports that the country’s authorities carried out the arrests in cooperation with the German authorities. Also in Germany, raids have been carried out in recent days and two people who are believed to belong to the Isis-K organization have been arrested.
Sources: Reuters, AFP