A 16-year-old resident of the Louvain region was arrested on Friday. He is suspected of having made plans to carry out a terrorist attack. The Leuven public prosecutor’s office confirmed the information disseminated by VRT Nieuws and Het Nieuwsblad. “The young man appeared before the youth judge, who imposed a series of conditions on him”said prosecutor’s spokeswoman Sarah Callewaert.
“We have been informed that the young man has fomented an online terrorist attack”according to the spokesperson. “The investigation is ongoing and, given the age of the suspect, we cannot give more details on this case. The judge did not, however, place him in a closed institution for the moment but imposed a series of conditions. They will be controlled by the police and social services.”
According to the aforementioned media, it would be a teenager converted to Islam. Videos of the Islamic State (IS) were found on his mobile phone, as well as recordings on which he destroyed crucifixes. In his online post, the boy reportedly talked about making a bomb out of TATP, the explosive used, among other things, in the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels in November 2015 and March 2016.
The young suspect discussed his plans with a comrade residing in Zemst. The latter was arrested on Saturday, confirms the Hal-Vilvoorde prosecution. A search was carried out at this young man’s home, but he was able to come out free after hearing, for lack of incriminating elements, further specifies the prosecution.