Suspected arson attack in Belgium: Unknown assailants attacked an Israeli-owned defense plant | Documentation
Fires were set at three locations at the BATS complex, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) that supplies radars to NATO and the Belgian army. An anonymous group claimed responsibility and threatened to "turn the company to ash." The Belgian Minister of Defense blamed the far-left: "Violence is increasing every day."
Suspected arson attack in Belgium: A facility of the defense electronics company BATS (Belgian Advanced Technology Systems) in the city of Liège was set on fire at three different locations. The company is held through a Dutch holding company and is fully owned by Israel Aerospace Industries.
According to local media reports, the fire broke out around 3:40 AM on Monday. Fire and rescue forces that arrived at the scene managed to bring the fire under control, and miraculously there were no casualties, but damage was caused to the plant. Local prosecutors confirmed that it was a deliberate arson, after an initial examination of the scene revealed that the fire was set simultaneously at three separate locations throughout the site.
Shortly after the incident, an anonymous group called "Black Fire" claimed responsibility for the act in a message published online. In the statement, the attackers declared that BATS is "100% Israeli and 100% owned by Israel Aerospace Industries," and added in a threatening tone that "this fact is enough to justify turning the company to ash."
The attackers tried to justify the violent act within the framework of an ideological opposition to "military industry and imperialism." The BATS company, founded in 1984, specializes in the development and production of advanced electronic systems for defense and internal security applications. Among other things, the company supplies battlefield surveillance radars for the Belgian army and holds the status of an approved supplier for NATO and the European Commission.
Minister of Defense against the far-left: "Violence is increasing"
Belgian Minister of Defense Theo Francken of the N-VA party (conservative right) was outraged by the serious incident and pointed an accusing finger at the radical elements in the political system. "The far-left set fire to the offices of the technology company BATS in Liège," Francken wrote on his X account. Francken added that the far-left is "becoming more violent by the day," and accused the Flemish wing of the Workers' Party of Belgium (PvdA/PTB) - a radical left party - of serving as the "political arm of this extremist violence." Francken also mentioned in his remarks another arson attempt that occurred recently against the OIP company, another Belgian company with ties to the Israeli industry.
On the other hand, the president of the federal PTB party, Raoul Hedebouw, dismissed the accusations with contempt: "What is this accusation against us based on? Nothing. There are no facts, no evidence, and no connection whatsoever. The PTB has nothing to do with these fires." At the same time, the Liège public prosecutor's office clarified that it is too early to determine the identity or motive of the perpetrators, and that a comprehensive judicial investigation accompanied by fire experts is already underway.
The attack against BATS is not an isolated event, but part of a worrying and expanding trend of violent actions against technology and defense companies in the Liège area linked to Israel. Just in March 2026, the aerospace company AMOS was attacked by a collective called "Stop Arming Israel Belgium," which caused damage to buildings and sprayed graffiti accusing the companies of involvement in the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
