Belgian police arrest 12 in anti-terror raids

Police in Belgium have arrested 12 people in a large anti-terror operation, around three months after the deadly bomb attacks on Brussels.

Belgium’s federal prosecutor said in a statement that the 12 people detained overnight are suspected of plotting a terrorist attack. They were among 40 people taken in for questioning for the operation. No arms or explosives were found during the searches, which passed off without incident.

Police conducted searches in 16 municipalities, mainly around Brussels, with checks on 152 lock-up garages. One of the areas where searches took place was Molenbeek, a Brussels district which has become notorious because of its associations with jihadists.

The 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 have reportedly recently received a warning that a group of Islamic State militants had left Syria en route to Europe, and that they were planning new attacks in Belgium and France.

An unnamed security source was quoted by Belgian newspaper DH on Wednesday as saying that 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, police arrested 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 Brussels attacks on 22 March, that killed 32 people at an airport and a metro station.