Police in Belgium have detained four people on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist group – accusing them of attempting to recruit people to fight with Islamist militants in Syria or Libya.
Following a police search of houses in Antwerp on Wednesday, two were formally arrested, with two others given a conditional release. The federal prosecutor’s office said all four were charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
“They are suspected of trying to recruit individuals to travel to conflict zones in Syria or Libya,” a statement said.
It said no weapons or explosives were found in the house searches and there was no apparent link to the 22 March bombings at the international airport and on the metro in Brussels that killed more than 30 people.
It alleged some of the four planned to join Islamic State and that a preliminary investigation showed they may also have been planning attacks in Belgium.