2023-05-12 12:19:00
Three terrorist cells have been dismantled in Belgium since the beginning of the year. Latest fact: Thursday, May 4, seven people of Chechen origin were arrested during searches carried out in Flanders. They are part of a group of staunch supporters of the Islamic State.
“Since October 2022, we have been facing surges of jihadism from so-called homegrown terrorist fighters,” explained Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne in the House Justice Committee. “However, cooperation between the intelligence and security services and the justice system is excellent. State Security has been strengthened, going from 560 employees when I took office to more than 800 employees, and we are moving towards 1,000 employees.”
A new law giving more powers to State Security
A law giving more powers to State Security was passed last year. “The seven suspects appeared before the council chamber on May 9, 2023. The processing of the case was postponed for four suspects, the preventive detention of two suspects was maintained and one suspect was released on conditions. The prosecution appealed the release decision. Two people were placed on the OCAM list during the investigation. None of those arrested were fighters returning from Syria.”he argued.
One finding is striking: the threats of attacks come from ever younger individuals. “We remain vigilant with regard to young people who become radicalized and, to this end, follow the strategy once morest terrorism, extremism and radicalisation. The local integral security cells in terms of radicalism, extremism and terrorism intervene at the first worrying signs of radicalization. If a security follow-up is necessary, the local task forces come into play. They ensure the exchange of information and take appropriate measures.”
“Terrorist organizations still manage to spread their ideas around the world through online channels”
Thus, in an increasing number of threat cases, the suspects are young, even very young. “They usually find people sharing their ideas through online forums on WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord. The services try to identify these profiles in time and foil their plans. The law of July 2022 allows them to do so”, continues the Minister. “This information is shared quickly and regularly within the consultation bodies. Terrorist organizations still manage to spread their ideas around the world through online channels. It is essential to find and delete these contents.”
The threat level should not be raised at this time, however, and it remains at 2.”The services have the situation under control”he concludes.
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