Antwerp suspected terrorist previously arrested in Rotterdam

A 39-year-old man arrested in Antwerp on Thursday on suspicion of trying to commit a terrorist attack, was arrested three times last week. One of those times happened in Rotterdam, Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reports.

Why suspect Mohamed R. was arrested in Rotterdam is unclear. The police told him that he had to leave the Netherlands. He listened, because on Monday the Belgian police checked him at a friend's house in Hoboken, according to the newspaper.

The French-Tunisian man was arrested in Antwerp on Thursday for driving at very high speed over busy shopping street Mier and ignoring police orders to stop. Following a terrorist attack in London on Wednesday, in which the attacker crashed his car into pedestrians before stabbing a police officer, the Belgian police were on high alert and immediately arrested R. on suspicion of attempted terrorism.

The police found various weapons in R.'s car, including a riot gun.

After his arrest, R. told the police that he sped away after seeing them because he was drunk and afraid of being arrested.