A security officer at a Belgian nuclear site has been killed and had his access pass stolen, according to Derniere Heure newspaper, citing police sources.
BELGIUM: Security official at a Nuclear plant 50km from #Brussels has been killed and his ID card stolen – @ladh
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) March 26, 2016
Brussels attacks: Nuclear alert after security officer found dead with his pass missing https://t.co/cLZdSGFFso pic.twitter.com/hBMODoeTil
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 26, 2016
According to the newspaper the security officer worked at the Doel nuclear plant in Charleroi and was walking his dog when he was shot dead. The incident happened on Thursday evening, but news of the killing only emerged on Saturday.
The identity of the dead security official has not been released due to on-going investigations.
The latest development follows concerns that the Brussels bombers wanted to build a radioactive dirty bomb.
In February, Belgian authorities revealed that on November 30 they had uncovered secret video footage of a senior Belgian senior nuclear official at the Auvelais home of a suspected Paris attacker, Mohamed Bakkali, who was captured in a raid on November 26.
The 10-hour video shot by a camera concealed in bushes, showed a senior nuclear official coming and going out of his home in the Flanders region.
#3Novices : Armed police on guard at Belgian nuclear facilities https://t.co/5kc7ST0iRZ
Video footage of a senior nuclear official taken …— 3NovicesEurope (@3NovicesEU) March 25, 2016
Despite the revelation of the surveillance on February 17, Belgian interior minister, Jan Jambon said “Nothing indicates a specific threat to nuclear power plants. This is why we are not planning any military support.”
On the day of the attacks, all but essential staff at the Tihange nuclear plant were sent home.
On March 4, the government decided to deploy 140 permanently stationed armed police and soldiers to guard Belgium’s nuclear facilities.