Belgian Justice Minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, has been placed under extreme protection after several men were arrested in the Netherlands in two different cities for preparing a kidnapping project against him.
Security forces witnesses on thursday night a car registered in Netherlands driving around the house occupied by the Minister and his family, in the Courtrai suburb. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, at least one assault weapon, gasoline and tapes were found in another car, only a few meters away from Vincent Van Quickenborne’s house.
A Belgian Judge has launched a criminal investigation into security threats against Mr. Quickenborne. The men arrested in the Netherlands, 20, 29 and 48, do not appear to be the decision makers, but simply the operatives. The attack was likely ordered by senior members of drug cartels..
If confirmed, this event marks an unprecedented escalation into the drug trafficking crisis that has affected Netherlands and Belgium. The port of Anvers, a major cocaine hub into the European Continent, has seen growing violence between rival traffickers, that has affected the security of the city. Only last week, an explosion blew up the hallway of a building in the Merksem neighborhood of Anvers.
*« To be clear : We will not be intimidated »* said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in a short statement. Justice Minister Van Quickenborne said *« I feel safe. The people behind this will get the opposite of what thought would happen. This reinforces my conviction that we must fight on »*
Justice Minister Van Quickenborne is currently asking for extradition of several drug lords living in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE). Belgian Police is investigating cocaine trafficking in the Port of Anvers after the breakdown of Sky ECC, an encrypted messaging app. Nearly 1200 people have been arrested so far.
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Belgian Justice Minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, has been placed under extreme protection after several men were arrested in the Netherlands in two different cities for preparing a kidnapping project against him.
Security forces witnesses on thursday night a car registered in Netherlands driving around the house occupied by the Minister and his family, in the Courtrai suburb. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, at least one assault weapon, gasoline and tapes were found in another car, only a few meters away from Vincent Van Quickenborne’s house.
A Belgian Judge has launched a criminal investigation into security threats against Mr. Quickenborne. The men arrested in the Netherlands, 20, 29 and 48, do not appear to be the decision makers, but simply the operatives. The attack was likely ordered by senior members of drug cartels..
If confirmed, this event marks an unprecedented escalation into the drug trafficking crisis that has affected Netherlands and Belgium. The port of Anvers, a major cocaine hub into the European Continent, has seen growing violence between rival traffickers, that has affected the security of the city. Only last week, an explosion blew up the hallway of a building in the Merksem neighborhood of Anvers.
*« To be clear : We will not be intimidated »* said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in a short statement. Justice Minister Van Quickenborne said *« I feel safe. The people behind this will get the opposite of what thought would happen. This reinforces my conviction that we must fight on »*
Justice Minister Van Quickenborne is currently asking for extradition of several drug lords living in the United Arabs Emirates (UAE). Belgian Police is investigating cocaine trafficking in the Port of Anvers after the breakdown of Sky ECC, an encrypted messaging app. Nearly 1200 people have been arrested so far.