|
2016-03-27 Europe
|
|
Belgian nuclear research centre security guard murdered
|
Concerns terrorists are plotting an attack on power station
A security guard who worked at a Belgian nuclear plant was murdered and had his security pass stolen, just two days after the Brussels terror attacks.
Didier Prospero was shot several times in the bathroom of his home in the Charleroi region of Belgium. The unidentified killers shot Prospero, who worked for G4S security at a Belgian nuclear research centre.
A family member found Prospero's body lying next to that of his sheep dog, Beauce, who had also been shot dead. Police found several .22 bullet casings in the room but there was no firearm in the isolated farm house.
Belgian prosecutors denied the 45-year-old security worker's access pass had been stolen.
| "No, no, certainly not! It was, umm, copied, that's all!" |
The Charleroi prosecutor's office in charge of the case 'formally denied' any connection between the murder of Prospero, who was shot dead on Thursday at his home in Froidchapelle and a planned terror attack.
He was in charge of security for a nuclear research centre at Fleurus. Media had said he worked at a nuclear power plant. Belgian police are refusing to link Prospero's murder to the ongoing terror investigation, however further evidence of an ISIS plan to hit a nuclear power station has emerged.
According to the New York Times, several employees working in the Belgian nuclear industry have had their security clearances revoked over potential ISIS plots. Following last November's terror attack in Paris, Belgian police recovered surveillance footage of a senior nuclear official in the home of ISIS ringleader Mohamed Bakkali, who was arrested and is currently facing terrorism charges.
It is feared the murder may be part of an ISIS plot to attack the facility and release radioactive waste into the atmosphere. Or, the terrorists could have been planning to steal radioactive material to create a so-called dirty bomb. Also, it is possible the terrorists wanted to sabotage a critical piece of machinery and cause the plant to meltdown, leading to a critical release of radioactive material.
| That's the trifecta, and they're not mutually exclusive... |
Sebastien Berg, spokesman for the federal agency responsible for Belgium's nuclear industry said they were fearful of a bomb exploding inside a plant or terrorists conducting a 9/11-style attack using a hijacked aircraft.
In 2012, two workers from a plant in Doel fled to Syria to join the jihadis. They are believed to have fought alongside Abdelhamid Abaaoud, mastermind behind the Paris attacks. One of the men is believed to have been killed in Syria, while the second served a short prison sentence in Belgium for terror-related offences in 2014.
Nuclear power plants are known to be targets for the terror network behind the Brussels bombings and the Paris attacks in November. In a nation on high alert following this week's attacks, the report stokes fears about the possibility militants are seeking to get hold of nuclear material or planning to attack a nuclear site. Such is the level of fear within the Belgian nuclear power industry, all non-essential staff at the Doel and Tihange power plants have been sent home.
For the foreseeable future Belgium's nuclear plants will continue operating with staffing levels similar to weekend service to ensure that no unauthorised personnel could gain access to the plants.
| Unless the bad guys plant someone on the inside who is considered 'essential'... |
'Some 1,000 people work on sites like these. Their backgrounds are all checked thoroughly, but better safe than sorry.'
On Thursday, Derniere Heure newspaper had reported the suicide bombers who blew themselves up on Tuesday originally considered targeting a nuclear site, but a series of arrests of suspect militants forced them to speed up their plans and instead switch focus to the Belgian capital. However, Charleroi prosecutors has reportedly played down reports of a connection between the murder and a planned terror attack, according to the Belga news agency. 
|
Posted by Steve White 2016-03-27 00:00||
||
Front Page|| [24 views ]
Top
|
|
21:31 Whavick Scourge of the Apes9857
21:27 Woodrow
20:48 Frank G
20:37 DooDahMan
20:32 DooDahMan
19:06 SteveS
17:57 trailing wife
17:56 Frank G
17:35 Whavick Scourge of the Apes9857
17:17 Glenmore
17:14 Besoeker
17:06 Procopius2k
16:17 NoMoreBS
16:02 NoMoreBS
15:26 Skidmark
15:22 Skidmark
15:20 Bobby
15:08 M. Murcek
15:05 M. Murcek
15:05 magpie
15:03 swksvolFF
14:59 NoMoreBS
14:56 Armaros
14:55 NoMoreBS
|
