Seven people suspected of supporting ISIS and plotting a "terrorist attack" were arrested in Belgium on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Three of the suspects hold Belgian nationality and almost all are ethnic Chechens, prosecutors said in a statement.
"The exact target of the planned attack has not yet been determined," they said.
Police backed by elite units raided nine addresses in several towns in western Belgium in an operation led by an investigating judge specialised in terrorism cases.
The judge will decide "at a later stage" if there is enough evidence to charge the suspects, the prosecutors said.
"Possible charges are attempted terrorist assassination, participation in the activities of a terrorist group and preparation of a terrorist attack," they said.
Prosecutors said that all seven arrested were "suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in Belgium".
They all "belong to a group of strong supporters" of ISIS.
A spokesman for the federal prosecutors' office, Eric Van Duyse, told AFP that "they apparently intended to target an institution located in Belgium" and had been "actively searching for weapons".
The police raids took place in the city of Ghent and the smaller towns of Roeselare, Menen, Ostend and Wevelgem.
ISIS claimed responsibility for suicide bombings in Belgium on March 22, 2016, at Brussels airport and the capital's metro, killing 32 people and wounding hundreds.
Those bombings occurred months after the November 2015 attacks in Paris that were planned by the same ISIS cell and which killed 130 people.
Chechnya, a republic in Russia's North Caucasus region, is ruled by pro-Kremlin strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Mr Kadyrov supports Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and has sent his militia there to fight.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
