Eight arrested over suspected planned attack on Brussels prosecutor

Eight people have been arrested - and later freed without charge - as part of the investigation into a possible attack on Brussels public prosecutor Julien Moinil. Federal police carried out 18 searches on Tuesday morning, including in Leuven but mainly in Brussels. The suspects reportedly all have an existing criminal record and were active in organised drug trafficking within the Albanian criminal milieu. “This investigation once again demonstrates the absolute necessity of better protecting police officers and magistrates who fight organised crime on a daily basis and who, as a result, come under the scrutiny of these organisations,” said federal prosecutor Ann Fransen. Moinil has made the fight against drug trafficking an absolute priority. Brussels federal judicial police first informed the prosecutor’s office back in July that a possible attack against him was being planned. Moinil was given police protection for threats from the drug world and, shortly afterwards, the threat level was escalated to level four. According to Belgium’s Ocam, which monitors terrorist threats, level four means that the threat against that person is "serious and imminent". “Significant resources from the federal police were deployed for [investigation] purposes,” according to a statement from the federal public prosecutor’s office. Several magistrates were also tasked by the public prosecutor’s office with following up on the investigation. Following the recent arrests, further investigation is needed to determine whether an attack was actually being planned. Federal justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), partly at the request of the public prosecutor’s office, has set up a working group. The legislative work for better protection is being prepared within this group.