Earlier this week, a firearm was found in front of Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne’s home in Kortrijk, West-Vlaanderen. Holland 4 Dutch nationals were arrested by the police within the scope of the investigation launched after a vehicle with license plate was found.
While no official statement was made about what the threat against Van Quickenborne was, the Belgian press claimed that the drug gang was planning to kidnap Van Quickenborne. Three of the suspects were caught by the police last Friday night and the other one today. While the prosecutor’s office did not confirm the kidnapping allegations, Belgian police started work to extradite the suspects from the Netherlands.
Belgian press stated that a Kalashnikov assault rifle, firearms and two bottles of gasoline were found in the vehicle in front of Minister Van Quickenborne’s house.
MINISTER’S SECURITY IS INCREASED
Federal prosecutors said on Saturday that Minister Van Quickenborne was placed under tighter police custody following a “serious threat”, that they were “informed last week of a possible threat” to Secretary Quickenborne’s safety that was taken “very seriously” and that the investigation stated that they had started
In a statement on his social media account, Van Quickenborne stated that he was under “strict security” and would not participate in the planned activities in the coming days, stressing that everyone fighting organized crime knows the risks and will continue to target criminal groups that “have more manpower and resources than before.”
“Let me be frank, the people behind this are achieving the exact opposite of what they intended,” Van Quickenborne said. “It strengthens my belief that we have to keep fighting. The criminals feel cornered.”
“NO ONE CAN FEAR US”
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, on the other hand, stated that the threat against Van Quickenborne was “totally unacceptable” and emphasized that no one would be intimidated.