Belgian Police Targeting Islamic State Recruitment Cells in Brussels

At dawn on February 16, 2016, Belgian authorities launched nine counter-terrorism raids throughout the City of Brussels. In the months following the Paris attacks and more revelations of the growing jihadist problem in Brussels, authorities unleashed a measure to crack down on Islamic State (IS) recruitment cells.

The police raids included suburban areas of Brussels including Kuechenberg, Schaerbeek, Etterbeck, and Molenbeek, which was where many of November’s Paris attacks resided. Molenbeek has the home of individuals linked to terrorism since the 1990s. One of the 2004 Madrid train bombers had ties to the area, as did the Jewish museum shooter Mehdi Nemmouche, and Paris hostage taker Amedy Coulibaly.

Prosecutors said the raids were not related to the Paris attacks, but rather to locate and dismantle recruitment centers. Information collected by authorities showed many of those arrested had gone to Syria to join IS.

Belgian police are still holding nine people in question over the November Paris attacks as more evidence points to the plot being completely hatched in Belgium.

Earlier this month authorities discovered three safe houses that were used for suspects of the Paris attacks. One in Brussels, another in Charleroi, an hour south of the capital, and Auvelais a village near the French border.

Salah Abdeslam, the would-be suicide bomber escaped France and reportedly hid in an apartment in Schaerbeek for three weeks. It is believe Abdeslam was at a house or apartment on Henri Street from November 14 to December 20. Special forces raided the home six days after Abdeslam had left, but found explosives and other bomb making materials in the home.  A federal prosecutor confirmed that fingerprints taken from the home matched Abdeslam.

Belgium prosecutors said that out of the ten suspected IS members arrested 3 will be charged with operating a terrorist recruitment ring.  The remaining seven detainees were released, but had their computers and cell phones confiscated.

Belgium provides more foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria, per capita, than any other European nation, and authorities believe 130 of these jihadist veterans have returned home. It is believed that nearly 500 Belgians have gone to fight in the Middle East.

Belgium has planned to hire 1,000 new police officers over the next four years officers to help combat terrorism. 300 of these new officers will be assigned to the Molenbeek district of Brussels.

On February 15, a total of 31 people were tried for being connected to a terrorist group and trying to recruit for IS and jihadist groups in Syria from 2012 to 2014.

After years of complacency by Belgium authorities allowing jihadist cells to grow right in their own capital it appears that Belgian police are finally getting serious about cracking down.

These most recent counter-terror raids should help to break up crucial nodes for IS recruitment and hopefully put a dent in the growing pattern of Belgian jihadists conducting terror attacks at home or abroad.