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| Belgian nuclear research centre security guard murdered | ||||
| 2016-03-27 | ||||
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 |