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Belgian authorities have detained three people suspected of planning an attack on the nation's PM, Bart de Wever.

Prosecutors characterized the reported plan as a terrorist act motivated by jihadist ideology targeting the PM and fellow politicians.

During investigations conducted in the Deurne area of Antwerp, close to the premier's home, investigators uncovered a alleged IED and evidence that the accused were intending to deploy a drone.

While the intended targets of the assault were not disclosed by name by the prosecutor's office, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot revealed that the prime minister was included in the targets.

"Information of a premeditated assault targeting Premier Bart de Wever is extremely shocking," Prevot wrote in a message on X on the investigation day.

"This underscores that we are facing a very real terrorist threat and that we have to remain vigilant," he added.

The three individuals taken into custody on charges of terrorism-related attempted murder and involvement in the functions of a terrorist group all reside in the city of Antwerp, per the federal prosecutors. They were with years of birth in the early 2000s.

As of the evening of the arrests, one person was freed, while the remaining two were undergoing questioning and scheduled to be presented before a court on the next day.

Federal prosecutors stated that the accused were arrested after a judge ordered searches of their dwellings in the location by law enforcement backed by explosive sniffer dogs.

In the course of these searches that they found a device which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", lead prosecutor Ann Fransen said at a media briefing on that day.

Investigations also uncovered a "bag of steel balls" and a additive manufacturing device, with "indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload", she noted.

The prosecutor disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations opened in the nation this year - surpassing the overall count of instances in 2024.

Earlier this year, five suspects were convicted for a previous year's plan to target the prime minister while he was acting as the city's chief executive.