Prosecutors in Belgium claim that a man was killed by gunfire during anti-terror operations targeting a group of alleged right-wing extremists.
One person was killed in anti-terror raids targeting a gang of alleged far-right extremists in Belgium on Wednesday after police and a man engaged in gunfire at one site, according to justice officials.
Twelve searches, according to the federal prosecutor’s office, were conducted as part of an inquiry into “the planning of a terrorist attack and the violation of the law on weapons” in seven different towns, including Antwerp and Ghent.
The circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death are the subject of an inquiry by the prosecutor’s office in Antwerp. The 36-year-old man allegedly fired shots at police as they attempted to enter his residence, according to the office, which was disclosed to The Associated Press.
Emergency services were called in, according to the office, but the individual did not survive.
According to the federal prosecutor’s office, numerous firearms and rounds of ammunition were seized during the searches in the Antwerp area.
The man who was fatally shot was a gold and silver trader who gathered weaponry and military relics, according to Belgian TV VRT. The far-right beliefs he was interested in and his hostility to the Belgian government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic were both expressed on social media, according to Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.
He also questioned the approach used by NATO, the EU, and the US in dealing with Russia.