06 July,2017 10:04 AM IST | Brussels | Agencies
Arms cache was found in the overnight raid; another man was also arrested in a joint French-Belgian operation
Police officers of an anti-terrorism unit and of French intelligence agency (DGSI) patrol in a street on Wattignies, northern France, during the operation to pick up a man on suspicion of links to the Kamikaze Riders, an ISIS-related group. Pic/AFP
Four people have been arrested and an arms cache found after overnight terror raids in Brussels linked to a bikers' club called the Kamikaze Riders, federal prosecutors said yesterday.
"During one of the house searches, various weapons were found. In all, four persons were arrested and taken in for questioning," prosecutors, adding the raids were linked to the Kamikaze Riders, which has been implicated in terror offences.
A source said the raids in the gritty Anderlecht district found at least two Kalashnikov assault rifles while reports spoke of explosives also being discovered.
The statement also clarified that the raids were "completely independent" from the probe into the deadly November 2015 Paris and March 2016 Brussels attacks, which were claimed by Islamic State and carried out by jihadi cells based in the Belgian capital.
Meanwhile in northern France, a joint Franco-Belgian anti-terrorist operation picked up a man on suspicion of having links to the Kamikaze Riders. The suspect fled the house but was detained in an adjacent street, dressed only in a T-shirt and shorts.
Who are Kamikazes Riders?
Formed in 2003, they are suspected of links to ISIS and foiled attacks in Brussels in 2015. In October 2016, two members were convicted of belonging to a terrorist group.
Police detain 10 in Barcelona raids
Barcelona: At least 10 people were detained in Barcelona today as part of a Europe-wide operation against members of Italy's Camorra crime syndicate. "For now there are a dozen detained although this figure may rise," said a spokesman for police in Catalonia.
