Teenager from Ukraine detained for planning mosque terror attack
Belgian authorities have accused a teenager of planning an attack on a mosque located in Brussels. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
**The underage suspect was found with knives and Nazi iconography**
Police in Belgium apprehended a 14-year-old boy from Ukraine in connection with a purported plan to attack a mosque in Brussels. The accused teenager has been characterized as holding extreme right-wing ideologies.
The boy was taken into custody on Thursday and faces charges related to preparing a terrorist act, as stated by the public prosecutor’s office in the Belgian capital. According to the prosecutors, the Ukrainian teen “was planning to commit an attack on a mosque on Friday 24 January, a day of prayer and a busy time in mosques.”
Following “confidential information,” police conducted a raid at the boy’s residence early in the morning, where they confiscated knives, computer devices, and homemade Nazi iconography, the statement indicated.
Residing in Molenbeek, a socio-economically challenged suburb of Brussels with a predominantly Muslim population, he reportedly aimed to target the Annajah mosque located within the area.
Over the past decade, Molenbeek has gained notoriety as a center for Islamist radicalization. Notably, three individuals involved in the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks resided in this neighborhood, which has served as a significant recruitment zone for both the Islamic State and other jihadist factions engaged in the Syrian Civil War.
During a parliamentary session on Thursday, Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt remarked that the suspect had developed extreme right-wing convictions, primarily influenced by online content. “The radicalization process of these young people is developing much more quickly than in the past,” Van Tigchelt cautioned, according to reports by Belgian media outlets.
A recent report from Belgium’s State Security Service revealed that nearly a third of individuals implicated in terrorism cases from 2022 to 2024 were minors. Among these minors, three-quarters were reportedly affiliated with jihadist activities, while a quarter were involved in right-wing conspiracies, the report detailed. The youngest individual arrested in this timeframe was just 13 years old.
”This is a worrying increase," the minister concluded.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Police in Belgium apprehended a 14-year-old boy from Ukraine in connection with a purported plan to attack a mosque in Brussels. The accused teenager has been characterized as holding extreme right-wing ideologies.
The boy was taken into custody on Thursday and faces charges related to preparing a terrorist act, as stated by the public prosecutor’s office in the Belgian capital. According to the prosecutors, the Ukrainian teen “was planning to commit an attack on a mosque on Friday 24 January, a day of prayer and a busy time in mosques.”
Following “confidential information,” police conducted a raid at the boy’s residence early in the morning, where they confiscated knives, computer devices, and homemade Nazi iconography, the statement indicated.
Residing in Molenbeek, a socio-economically challenged suburb of Brussels with a predominantly Muslim population, he reportedly aimed to target the Annajah mosque located within the area.
Over the past decade, Molenbeek has gained notoriety as a center for Islamist radicalization. Notably, three individuals involved in the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks resided in this neighborhood, which has served as a significant recruitment zone for both the Islamic State and other jihadist factions engaged in the Syrian Civil War.
During a parliamentary session on Thursday, Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt remarked that the suspect had developed extreme right-wing convictions, primarily influenced by online content. “The radicalization process of these young people is developing much more quickly than in the past,” Van Tigchelt cautioned, according to reports by Belgian media outlets.
A recent report from Belgium’s State Security Service revealed that nearly a third of individuals implicated in terrorism cases from 2022 to 2024 were minors. Among these minors, three-quarters were reportedly affiliated with jihadist activities, while a quarter were involved in right-wing conspiracies, the report detailed. The youngest individual arrested in this timeframe was just 13 years old.
”This is a worrying increase," the minister concluded.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
