Belgium Releases 14 Terror Suspects For Lack Of Evidence

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Fourteen suspects have been freed in Belgium after being arrested yesterday in connection with an alleged plot to free an al-Qaida prisoner. A Belgian court has ruled there’s not enough evidence against the suspects to hold them for more than 24 hours.

The arrests have triggered tighter security around the country. A police spokeswoman says it will remain in place over the holidays because authorities believe “there is still a threat.” Police haven’t found any weapons or explosives in searches of the suspects homes.

Prosecutors say the suspects were planning on freeing a 37-year-old Tunisian man serving a 10-year prison sentence for planning to car bomb American military personnel at a Belgian air base.

Authorities cite “significant indications” of a terrorist threat as the reason for the arrests. Police say the suspects haven’t been formally charged and their release doesn’t “come as a surprise.”