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Belgian authorities have arrested three suspects allegedly involved in conspiring to carry out an assault on the country's prime minister, Bart de Wever.

Legal authorities characterized the suspected plan as a extremist assault with jihadist roots targeting the PM and additional government officials.

During raids conducted in Deurne, Antwerp, close to the premier's private residence, authorities discovered a alleged improvised explosive device and proof that the individuals were planning to use a UAV.

While the intended targets of the strike were not disclosed by name by the prosecutor's office, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot confirmed that Belgium's leader was included in the targets.

"Reports of a premeditated attack directed toward PM Bart de Wever is profoundly disturbing," the official stated in a update on social media on the day of the arrests.

"It emphasizes that we are dealing with a genuine terrorism risk and that we have to stay alert," he continued.

The three people arrested on charges of terrorism-related attempted murder and involvement in the operations of a jihadist network all live in the Antwerp region, according to the prosecutor's office. They were born in three different years between 2001 and 2007.

As of Thursday evening, one of the individuals was released, while two others were undergoing questioning and scheduled to face a judge on Friday.

Legal authorities stated that the suspects were detained after a court official ordered searches of their dwellings in the urban area by officials supported by explosive sniffer dogs.

It was during these searches that they found a item which "bore strong resemblances to an improvised explosive device", legal representative Ann Fransen said at a news conference on the day of the events.

Investigations also uncovered a container of metal spheres and a three-dimensional printer, with evidence suggesting drone-based payload delivery, she noted.

The prosecutor disclosed that there had been 80 terrorism investigations opened in the nation this year - exceeding the full amount of investigations in the previous year.

Earlier this year, five suspects were sentenced for a previous year's plan to target De Wever while he was holding the position of the mayor of Antwerp.