Four individuals have been arrested over their suspected involvement in an attempt to kidnap Belgium's Justice Minister, Vincent Van Quickenborne, who is also mayor of the city of Kortrijk in western Flanders, according to Belgian sources.

In a message televised earlier today on RTBF, Quickenborne blamed the “drug mafia” over the kidnap plot. He said that on Thursday while addressing spectators at a public ball, he received prior warnings from a prosecutor about it.

On Saturday Van Quickenborne said, “I will be placed under strict security for the time being and will not be able to participate in some planned activities in the coming days. It’s not pleasant, but understandable."

“Let me be clear: the people behind this are achieving the opposite of what they aim for. It strengthens me in the belief that we need to keep fighting. The criminals feel trapped. That feeling is right. Because we will continue to fight organized crime, with more manpower and resources than before," he added.

“In our democratic rule of law, we will never fold to violence. Never," he said.

In a tweet issued on September 24, Quickenborne said, "Our security services intervened because of a concrete threat against me. My family and I are safe. Our fight against organized crime continues. With more manpower and resources than ever. We will never succumb to violence."

Dag iedereen. Onze veiligheidsdiensten grepen in wegens een concrete dreiging tegen mij. Mijn familie en ik zijn veilig.

Onze strijd tegen de georganiseerde misdaad gaat voort. Met meer mankracht en middelen dan ooit. We zullen nooit plooien voor geweld.https://t.co/7lVolUUfxk pic.twitter.com/CfzKTB2aRd

— Vincent Van Quickenborne (@VincentVQ) September 24, 2022

Police had considerably reinforced security for Van Quickenborne, citing a serious “threat”, according to federal prosecutors last Saturday. They added that three of the suspects were detained in the Netherlands, and that Belgian authorities are currently working on their extradition.

A spokesperson for the Dutch prosecutor’s office in the Hague said the trio, all Dutch, were aged 20, 29, and 48. On Sunday, a judicial source said a fourth suspect had been arrested in the Netherlands.

Belgium's PM Alexander De Croo tweeted on Saturday "The threat against the Minister of Justice @VincentVQ is completely unacceptable. Let it be clear: we will not be intimidated by anyone. The work continues. Special thanks to our Belgian security and intelligence services and Dutch colleagues."

According to the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws, several weapons were found in a vehicle parked near the Minister’s residence in Kortrijk. Other sources reported that the vehicle contained Kalashnikovs, other firearms, and two bottles of petrol.

Following these finds, the prosecutor’s office has said it had been warned about a “possible threat” but did not provide further details.

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In Belgium, drug trafficking, which often results in violent flare-ups across the country, has been a long-neglected issue. 

Some even argued on social media that the country was starting to become a 'Narco-State'.

According to Le Monde, in an article published on September 21, Antwerp Port has been "the epicenter of cocaine trafficking in Europe for years. Nearly 90 tons were seized there in 2021, while another 28 tons were confiscated in South America on their way to Belgium."

It added that on September 15, the Belgian Prime Minister, three federal ministers (of the interior, justice, and health), the federal prosecutor, and 14 mayors met to discuss had met in Brussels to discuss the eventuality of Belgium becoming a narco-state.

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