Several arrested for threats to the Belgian Minister of Justice, who suspends his public agenda

BRUSSELS, 24 Sep. () –

At least three people have been arrested in the Netherlands last night for threats to the Belgian Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, who has had to reinforce security measures and cancel part of his public agenda due to the “seriousness” of the situation.

The judicial authorities have confirmed the operation without giving further details, although the Flemish newspaper ‘Het Laatse Nieuws’ reports that a vehicle with weapons and explosives was located in the vicinity of the minister’s residence early on Friday morning.

“The first elements of the investigation have quickly indicated that the threat should be taken seriously,” the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement collected by Europa Press in which it reports the arrest of three suspects in Dutch territory and whose transfer they have requested. the Belgian authorities.

The Prosecutor’s Office has avoided giving more details about the operation because the investigation is still ongoing, although it has pointed out that the minister has canceled several public events in which he planned to participate over the next few days.

According to the aforementioned newspaper, the alarm went off when locating a vehicle parked in the residential neighborhood where Van Quickenborne’s home is located in the Flemish town of Cortrique (western Belgium).

Inside the vehicle, with Dutch registration, Kalashnikovs, explosive material and other elements that could be gas cylinders were found, always according to the data collected by the same newspaper.

The National Crisis Center has taken “immediately” the necessary measures to place the Minister of Justice under “reinforced security”, pointed out the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which insists that it will not report the measures and thanks the journalists who had “certain information ” that they heed his request not to disclose it “in the interest of the investigation”.