Five of the six defendants that stood trial accused of planning terrorist attacks have been convicted by a court in Antwerp. The sixth defendent has been acquitted. The group’s targets included the Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) and a police station. In its ruling the court said that “The attack was only prevented by the timely intervention of the security services”.
Prison sentences of up to 13 years for members of terror group that planned to assassinate the Mayor of Antwerp
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On 27 March last year searches were carried out at properties across the country. A number of suspects were detained and 6 people, 5 men and 1 woman were formally charged with terrorist offences.
They stood trial at the Criminal Court in Antwerp. During the trial the prosecution said that the terrorist group had “clear targets and concrete timing” for carrying out its planned attacks. The court accepted the prosecution's arguments and in his summing up the trial judge said that the group had plans to “seriously destablise society”. "The investigation has proved beyond any doubt that the chief suspect had advanced plans to carry out an attack on Bart De Wever and an as yet undefined police station."
He was a part of a terrorist group planning to seriously disrupt society by carrying out an attack on a politician that is known nationally (Mr De Wever is also the leader of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA) and a police station.
The judge said that to this end a well-defined plan had been drafted with a date for the having been set for the attacks in April 2023, just after Ramadan.
“He intended to have weapons by 10 April at the latest. There was no evidence that he was going to go back on his plan. On the contrary, he only became more determined.’
The court was clear: the 21-year-old chief suspect’s aim was to “undermine fundamental political foundations of the country and instill fear in the population”.
Sentences of up to 13 years and one acquittal
Four of the other defendants were found to have aided and abetted the chief suspect in the preparation and planning of the attack.
The judge said that they “encouraged, motivated, actively contributed” to the planning of the attack. .”They were part of a terrorist group that planned to seriously disrupt society by attacking a nationally important politician and a police station. Both are symbols of our society and of public order.’
“Needless to say, with their well-advanced plan and their aversion to Belgian society, they demonstrate an extremely dangerous mindset.’
Five of the six defendants have been given prison sentences of between 7 and 13 years. They were convicted of attempted murder within the context of terrorism and being members of or in one case the leader of a terrorist group. There were also fined and have had their civil rights revoked.
As there was some doubt that the sixth defended had incited the chief suspect to carry out the attack, he was acquitted.