Just by using the phrase “Islamist terrorists,” Rep. Pete King is already breaking the speech codes set by the Obama administration, but that’s another story. The real story is in Europe, where a series of raids in Belgium have disrupted what officials call an “operational terror cell” and its plans for an “imminent” attack.
10 separate raids in 4 Belgian cities, one in what officials call an “operational terror cell” –@johnberman reports pic.twitter.com/yphcT0LDdS
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) January 15, 2015
Belgian police kill two in raid on suspected Islamists #belgium http://t.co/P4kymgN6Ze
— Alastair Macdonald (@macdonaldrtr) January 15, 2015
Reuters reports that police killed two Islamists in the raids and arrested a third, adding that the probe into the terror cell had been underway before last week’s massacre in France.
Belgian police killed two men who opened fire on them during one of about a dozen raids on Thursday against an Islamist group that federal prosecutors said was about to launch “terrorist attacks on a grand scale”.
…
A third man was detained in the eastern city of Verviers, where police commandos ran into a hail of gunfire after trying to gain entry to an apartment above a town centre bakery. All three were citizens of Belgium, which has one of the biggest concentrations of European Islamists fighting in Syria.
https://twitter.com/Circa/status/555823790215938048
Newspaper correspondent Gert Van Langendonck has details on the raids from a police press conference and other sources.
Belgium suspects said to be planning attack on police station, 'another Paris avoided' via @destandaard
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Verviers may seem strange choice but it was the only place in Wallonia where young men – three – were known to have gone to Syria. #Belgium
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
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All police stations in Molenbeek, a Muslim part of Brussels, have been closed. Individual police told to stay off streets via @vrtderedactie
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Acc to @VTMNIEUWS Belgian anti-terrorism action was part of coordinated action in 7 countries including the UK #Belgium #Verviers
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Presser #Belgium investigation into #Syria returnees suspected of planning an attack
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Presser #Belgium Suspects in #Verviers opened fire briefly before being shot by police
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
WATCH: 2 dead in #Belgium anti-terror operation. Targeted fighters returning from #Syria planning "imminent" attack. http://t.co/1N3otyNL4Z
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) January 15, 2015
Presser #Belgium house searches in Verviers and Brussels were ordered by investigative judge in Brussels; 'imminent terror attack suspected'
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Belgian Police suspect cell was planning "major" terror attacks in the "imminent" future. #Belgium
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) January 15, 2015
No names yet but it was known that three young men had left to join ISIS in Syria from #Verviers #Belgium
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Belgian TV @vrtderedactie says no link between #Verviers and #CharlieHebdo. Operation was started up two weeks ago #Belgium
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
Suspects shot in #Verviers are said to have been planning attacks on policemen and police stations throughout #Belgium (Belgian media)
— Gert Van Langendonck (@gert_lang_) January 15, 2015
EU anti-terror alert: 2 suspects killed, 1 captured in Belgium raid http://t.co/84TadKu0HO pic.twitter.com/rdufR8cKc2
— RT (@RT_com) January 15, 2015
Belgian Prosecutor: When police arrived in #Verviers, suspects opened fire for "many minutes" (Photos: @GettyImages) pic.twitter.com/RGFlpfGfix
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) January 15, 2015
Now is definitely not the time to “back down to political correctness.”
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