Belgium Arrests 7 Suspected of Planning Terrorist Attack

Belgian police officers keep guard after an attack in which a police officer was killed, in Brussels, Belgium November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Clement Rossignol
Belgian police officers keep guard after an attack in which a police officer was killed, in Brussels, Belgium November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Clement Rossignol
TT

Belgium Arrests 7 Suspected of Planning Terrorist Attack

Belgian police officers keep guard after an attack in which a police officer was killed, in Brussels, Belgium November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Clement Rossignol
Belgian police officers keep guard after an attack in which a police officer was killed, in Brussels, Belgium November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Clement Rossignol

Belgian police have arrested seven people on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack, the prosecutor's office said on Thursday.

The suspects had discussed several scenarios for an attack in Belgium but had not yet decided on the target, the statement said as well.

"There was talk of the NATO buildings, but at the moment those plans didn't seem very concrete," a spokesperson told Belgian newspaper De Standaard.

The prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Almost all of the suspects are of Chechen origin while three are also Belgian nationals and belong to a group of fervent ISIS supporters, according to the prosecutor's statement.

An investigating judge will decide at a later stage if the suspects will be brought before the court.



Zelenskiy Says Ukraine's Membership of NATO is 'Achievable'

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
TT

Zelenskiy Says Ukraine's Membership of NATO is 'Achievable'

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 19, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

Ukraine's membership of NATO is "achievable", but Kyiv will have to fight to persuade allies to make it happen, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainian diplomats in a speech on Sunday.
Ukraine has repeatedly urged NATO to invite Kyiv to become a member. The Western military alliance has said Ukraine will join its ranks one day but has not set a date or issued an invitation.
Moscow has cited the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO as one of the principal justifications for its 2022 invasion. Kyiv says membership in the Western alliance's mutual defense pact, or an equivalent form of security guarantee, would be crucial to any peace plan to ensure that Russia does not attack again.
"We all understand that Ukraine's invitation to NATO and membership in the alliance can only be a political decision," Zelenskiy told diplomats at a gathering in Kyiv. "Alliance for Ukraine is achievable, but it is achievable only if we fight for this decision at all the necessary levels."
Zelenskiy said allies needed to know what Ukraine can bring to NATO and how its membership in the alliance would stabilize global relations, Reuters reported.
Last week, Zelenskiy urged European countries to provide guarantees to protect Ukraine after the war with Russia ends and said Ukraine would ultimately need more protection through membership of the alliance.