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Belgian man charged with terror attack plot on US embassy

Information suggested attack ‘could be imminent’, police say

Jane Dalton
Monday 24 June 2019 21:03 BST
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The suspect was seen acting suspiciously in the area near the embassy in Brussels
The suspect was seen acting suspiciously in the area near the embassy in Brussels

A man tried to launch a "terrorist" attack on the the US embassy in Belgium, police said.

Prosecutors said the man was arrested in Brussels over the weekend, as anti-terror police acted on information suggesting an attack could be imminent.

The suspect, identified only by his initials, MG, was charged with planning and attempting to carry out an attack “in a terrorist context and preparing a terrorist offence”.

Belgian state broadcaster RTBF said the man, who denies the allegations, had been under police surveillance for some time.

It said he was recently spotted acting suspiciously near the embassy.

Brussels, where the headquarters of the European Union and the Nato military alliance are, has been a target in the past for extremist attacks.

Thirty-two people were killed and hundreds wounded on 22 March 2016, when suicide bombers blew themselves up at the city’s airport and on an underground train.

Several extremists involved in other attacks around the world have lived or stayed in Brussels.

Additional reporting by agencies

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