Brussels police ‘bust attack plot planned for this afternoon’s Ireland v Belgium match’
Twelve arrests have been made in huge anti-terror operation
BELGIAN police have arrested 12 people suspected of plotting a terror attack at the Ireland v Brussels match today.
Those held overnight are among 40 taken in for questioning, just three months after the bomb attacks on Brussels when 32 people were killed.
Searches were carried out in 16 municipalities, mainly around Brussels, with checks on 152 lock-up garages.
No arms or explosives were found during the searches, Belgium's federal prosecutor said in a statement.
Among the areas where searches took place was Molenbeek, a Brussels district which has a strong jihadist network.
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Farouk Özgünes, a reporter with Flemish public broadcaster VTM, said: "The suspects were planning to carry out attacks while the Red Devils (Belgium's national team) were playing a match at the European Championships this weekend.
"Perhaps they were planning to commit another attack today in Brussels."
The federal prosecutor said the operation was launched after probes which sparked the need for "an immediate intervention".
The Belgian government has not raised the threat level.
Islamic extremist suicide bombers killed 32 people in Brussels in March, after attacks in Paris in November in which 130 people died.
Yesterday an eighth suspect, named as Youssef E A, was arrested in Belgium in connection with the March 22 attacks.
He was charged with "participation in the activities of a terrorist group, terrorist murders and attempts to terrorist murders" but that was unconnected to the overnight raids.
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