Belgian authorities have once again found themselves thrust into the international spotlight after foiling a chilling plot to attack the country’s top politicians—including newly appointed Prime Minister Bart De Wever—using drone-mounted explosives. The events unfolded on October 9, 2025, when federal police in Antwerp arrested three young suspects, uncovering evidence of a meticulously planned, jihadist-inspired operation that could have had devastating consequences for Belgium’s political leadership and public safety.
The plot came to light after an intensive investigation led by Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office, which had been tracking suspicious activities linked to the suspects. According to AP and France24, the three individuals—described as “young adults” born in 2001, 2002, and 2007—were apprehended during coordinated raids on four properties across Antwerp. The searches, conducted with the support of bomb squads and explosives-sniffing dogs, revealed a trove of incriminating materials: an improvised explosive device (albeit not yet operational), a bag of steel balls potentially intended as shrapnel, and a 3D printer believed to have been used for manufacturing components of the planned attack.
Federal prosecutor Ann Fransen, addressing the press, left no doubt about the gravity of the situation. “Certain elements indicate that the suspects intended to carry out a jihadist-inspired terrorist attack against political figures,” she stated. Fransen further elaborated that there were “indications that the suspects aimed to construct a drone capable of carrying a payload,” adding a new, high-tech dimension to the threat. While the prosecutor’s office declined to publicly name all intended targets, sources close to the Prime Minister confirmed to AFP that De Wever was indeed among those targeted.
The news sent shockwaves through Belgium’s political establishment. Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot did not mince words, calling the revelation “deeply shocking.” In a post on social media, Prevot extended his “gratitude to the security services and the judiciary whose swift action allowed us to avert the worst,” and underscored the ongoing nature of the threat: “The terrorist threat remains very real and we must remain vigilant.” He also highlighted Belgium’s efforts to bolster its defenses against new forms of terrorism, particularly the malicious use of drones—a technology that, until recently, was more associated with hobbyists and commercial applications than with terrorist plots.
Defense Minister Theo Francken echoed these sentiments, voicing his support for the Prime Minister and his family. “Thanks to the security services. Never surrender,” Francken wrote, a statement that resonated widely given Belgium’s recent history of high-profile attacks. The trauma of the March 22, 2016, suicide bombings—when 32 people were killed and hundreds wounded at Brussels Airport and on a central commuter line—still looms large in the public consciousness. The country has remained on high alert ever since, with authorities regularly warning of the evolving nature of terrorist threats.
The details of the investigation paint a picture of a plot that was both sophisticated and disturbingly close to fruition. The discovery of a 3D printer at one suspect’s residence suggests a level of technical know-how and resourcefulness. The device was “believed to have been intended for manufacturing components useful in carrying out an attack,” according to Fransen. Meanwhile, the improvised explosive device and bag of metal pellets found at another suspect’s home point to preparations for maximum impact. Notably, one of the searched residences was located just a few hundred meters from the Prime Minister’s own home—a chilling reminder of how close the conspirators may have come to their goal.
The suspects themselves remain largely unidentified to the public, in keeping with Belgian legal protocols. Two of the three were held for questioning into the evening and were scheduled to appear before an investigating judge the following day, October 10, 2025. The third suspect was released. The charges they face are grave: attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group. According to the federal prosecutor’s office, the investigation is ongoing, and authorities are not ruling out the possibility of additional arrests or broader networks.
This latest incident comes against a backdrop of mounting pressure on Belgium’s justice system, which is already grappling with a surge in terrorism-related cases and a wave of drug-related crime in Antwerp—one of Europe’s busiest shipping hubs. The federal public prosecutor’s office revealed that around 80 new terrorism investigations have been opened in 2025 alone, already surpassing the total number for the previous year. The strain is palpable: former justice ministers and senior prosecutors have been forced to live under police protection due to credible threats, and there are growing calls for greater resources to ensure the security of both the judiciary and the wider public.
In a joint statement, prosecutors appealed to the government for more support, emphasizing that “it’s important to ensure that the police and the judiciary always have sufficient capacity to guarantee the security of our society.” The plea comes as Belgium faces not only the immediate threat of terrorist plots but also the long-term challenge of adapting to new tactics—like the weaponization of drones and the use of 3D-printed components—that make such attacks harder to detect and prevent.
For Prime Minister Bart De Wever, the threat is not an isolated incident. Earlier in 2025, five people were convicted for plotting an attack against him while he was still mayor of Antwerp, with at least one of the accused known to have spread radical Islamic propaganda online. That plan, too, was foiled in its early stages, but it serves as a sobering reminder of the persistent risks faced by high-profile political figures in Belgium and across Europe.
Belgium’s experience is, sadly, not unique. The country’s 2016 bombings were linked to the same network responsible for the 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people. The only surviving member of that cell, Salah Abdeslam, was convicted of involvement in both atrocities, underscoring the transnational dimension of jihadist terrorism in Western Europe.
As the investigation into the Antwerp plot continues, Belgian authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant but not to succumb to fear. The swift and decisive action of law enforcement and the judiciary has, for now, averted another potential tragedy. But as Foreign Minister Prevot warned, the threat is ever-evolving, and the need for vigilance—and investment in security—remains as urgent as ever.