The Murder of a Nuclear Facility Guard Not Related to Terrorist Threats in Belgium

Belgian news agency Belga reported on Saturday, April 7, citing the prosecutor's office in the Charleroi region, that the death of the head of security at a nuclear facility is a "completely criminal" case and is not related to recent terrorist threats. According to the report, "Didier Prospere," who was shot dead at his residence with four bullets, was responsible for the security of a nuclear research center and did not work at a nuclear power plant. Media outlets reported on Saturday, citing a Belgian newspaper, that the guard of a nuclear facility in Belgium was killed and his access card to the facility was stolen. The Belgian newspaper DH reported on Saturday that this incident occurred two days after the largest terrorist attack in Belgium's history, which took place last Thursday. While a police spokesperson in Belgium stated that he could not comment on the incident due to ongoing investigations, Belga reported that the murder of this guard was likely a "criminal incident and not terrorist." The official Belgian news agency also quoted the prosecutor's office denying that the victim's access card had been stolen. According to the Brussels-based newspaper DH, the access card of the murdered security guard was deactivated immediately after it became clear what had happened to him. This incident occurred in the Charleroi area in southwestern Belgium, south of Brussels. The DH newspaper had previously reported that the perpetrators of the recent terrorist operations in Belgium actually intended to attack the country's nuclear facilities, but the arrest of several individuals linked to the Islamic State group in recent weeks altered their plans. A several-hour video discovered by Belgian security forces late last year showed that the movements of a senior nuclear official in the country had been monitored by individuals linked to the Islamic State group, who carried out the Paris terrorist attacks. This video showed hours of the head of Belgium's nuclear research program commuting to his home in the north of the country. Following the discovery of this video, Belgian and European security agencies became concerned about possible operations by extremist Islamist groups against nuclear facilities or materials in the continent.