Shortly before the start of the “Miss Belgium” show, the police arrested a man. He is said to have planned an assassination attempt on the event. Investigators confiscate firearms and a bulletproof vest.
An attack could possibly be perpetrated at the “Miss Belgium” election event. Shortly before the start of the show, a suspicious man was arrested late Saturday afternoon, the public prosecutor in Brussels said. He was armed with a handgun and another firearm and a bulletproof vest were found in his car. “The investigation revealed that he may have wanted to carry out an assassination attempt during the Miss Belgium election,” the statement said.
According to the public prosecutor, there was initially no reliable information about possible motives for the man born in 1976. The suspect was not known to either the police or the intelligence services, it said. However, as “NL-News” reports, the man is said to have mental problems. The suspect was said to have been identified after police in Limburg received a disturbing message in which a person said they were planning an attack, the Brussels Times reports.
It was therefore also unclear whether a companion of the man from the Netherlands had been informed about the alleged attack plans. Both should be brought before an examining magistrate by Monday at the latest, who should then decide on a possible arrest warrant.
The “Miss Belgium” election at the Plopsaland amusement park in De Panne was carried out as planned on Saturday evening after a search of the rooms with explosives detection dogs. The winner of the competition was 21-year-old Emilie Vansteenkiste.
