Belgian authorities detain 8 over recruitment for Syria

BRUSSELS – Belgian authorities have detained eight people during anti-terror raids centring on the recruitment of people to fight in Syria and financial support for the Islamic State group.

The prosecutor’s office said that during nine searches in homes in northern and central Belgium early Tuesday, police found no explosives or weapons. An inquiry judge will decide later whether to keep the eight behind bars.

Separately, prosecutors charged a 43-year-old Belgian national with terrorist offences linked to a machete attack on two women police officers this summer, the third person to be charged after a 33-year-old Algerian attacked and wounded two women officers with a machete at a police station in the city of Charleroi on Aug. 6. He was shot dead by a third officer.