Belgium charges man with participating in terrorist activities after weekend arrest

A young Belgian man arrested at the weekend has been charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group, Belgian federal prosecutors said Monday.

The man identified as Jimmy K. was formally charged on Sunday following reports he had been detained south of the capital Brussels on Saturday, April 13.

“He was charged by the investigating judge with participation in the activities of a terrorist group,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

It said searches were carried out in Wavre, where media reported he was arrested on Saturday, and in Comines, both in the southern French-speaking parts of Belgium.

It said no weapons or explosives were found following the arrest of the 22-year-old man.

Jihadist group adherents have carried out a number of attacks in the last few years, including suicide bombings at a Brussels metro station and the international airport on March 22, 2016.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed 32 people and wounded hundreds of others.

In October, a Belgian court stripped a 36-year-old man, Fouad Balkacem, of his citizenship for heading a terrorist group that recruited would-be fighters for Islamic State and other groups in Syria.

Source: The Defence Post