Belgium: Kamikaze Muslim biker gang members plotted New Year Brussels terror attack

Two members of a Muslim motorcycle club alleged to have been plotting terror attacks in Belgium on New Year's Eve will appear before a magistrate on Thursday (31 December). The magistrate will decide whether the men should be held in police custody for another month.

An official close to the investigation told CNN on condition of anonymity that the two men are members of the Kamikaze Riders Muslim motorcycle gang, and allegedly discussed attacking Brussels' Grand Place Square, as well as police and military targets.

Grand Place Square is where crowds gather to celebrate the new year in the city. The official said the men were inspired, though not directed, by Islamic State (Isis).

The two Kamikaze bikers were arrested following police raids on properties in Brussels and in other parts of the country on Sunday and Monday (27- 28 December). They are not believed to have links to the Paris attackers, said the official.

Authorities have now cancelled the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks display in Brussels amid fears the event may be the target of a terrorist attack. The country remains on a state of high alert in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Several of those involved in the Paris attacks were from Brussels, and one of the alleged perpetrators, Salah Abdeslam, remains on the run. In November the city was in lockdown, with schools, restaurants and the city's metro closed amid fears a terror attack was imminent.