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| Twelve arrests as Belgium swoops on terror suspects | Twelve arrests as Belgium swoops on terror suspects |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police in Belgium have made 12 arrests in a huge anti-terror operation, nearly three months after the deadly bomb attacks on Brussels. | Police in Belgium have made 12 arrests in a huge anti-terror operation, nearly three months after the deadly bomb attacks on Brussels. |
| Those detained overnight are suspected of plotting a terrorist attack, prosecutors say. They were among 40 taken in for questioning. | Those detained overnight are suspected of plotting a terrorist attack, prosecutors say. They were among 40 taken in for questioning. |
| Searches were conducted in 16 municipalities, mainly around Brussels, with checks on 152 lock-up garages. | Searches were conducted in 16 municipalities, mainly around Brussels, with checks on 152 lock-up garages. |
| On 22 March, bombs killed 32 people at a Brussels airport and a metro station. | On 22 March, bombs killed 32 people at a Brussels airport and a metro station. |
| No arms or explosives were found during the searches, which passed off without incident, Belgium's federal prosecutor said in a statement. | |
| Among the areas where searches took place was Molenbeek, a Brussels district which has become notorious because of its associations with jihadists. | |
| The federal prosecutor said the operation had been launched after investigations which "necessitated an immediate intervention". | |
| However, the Belgian government has not raised the threat level. | |
| Belgian police are said to have recently received a warning that a group of IS militants had left Syria en route for Europe, planning new attacks in Belgium and France. | |
| An unnamed security source was quoted by Belgian newspaper DH on Wednesday as saying the group had "left Syria about a week-and-a-half ago aiming to reach Europe via Turkey and Greece by boat without passports". | |
| On Friday, a Belgian national named as Youssef EA was arrested and charged on suspicion of terrorist activities in connection with the March attacks, which were claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group. | |
| Belgian media report that he is the eighth person to have been charged over the attacks, which were carried out by three suicide bombers. |