Belgium Arrests Two in Connection with Potential Terrorist Attacks

Belgian police have arrested two individuals in connection with planning an attack on football fans in France. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office announced in a statement that the police apprehended these two individuals during an anti-terrorism operation at midnight on June 24. According to a spokesperson for the Belgian prosecutor's office, one of the suspects was arrested in the city of Verviers and the other in Tournai, which is near the French border. However, the spokesperson stated, "It is still too early to talk about a terrorist attack. The two men must first be interrogated." The identities of the detainees have not yet been disclosed. Last week, Belgium also tried three men on charges of "attempting to carry out a terrorist operation." Reports indicate that there was an "immediate threat" against football fans traveling to France for the European Championship matches. The city of Verviers, where one of the recent suspects was arrested, is the same city where two individuals were killed during a Belgian police anti-terrorism operation in January 2015. It was later discovered that those two were connected to the network that carried out the terrorist operations in Paris and Brussels. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, witnessed the largest terrorist attacks in the country's history in April of this year. During those attacks, for which the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility, 32 people were killed and hundreds were injured. A few months prior, Paris, the capital of France, experienced the largest terrorist operation in its history, resulting in 130 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The Islamic State also claimed responsibility for those attacks. Several individuals involved in the Brussels attacks were directly active in the Paris attacks as well.