Belgium detains eight for questioning over Islamic State support

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian authorities searched houses and detained eight people for questioning on suspicion of supporting Islamic State financially and through the recruitment of fighters for the Syrian civil war, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday.

The prosecutors said nine houses were searched in a district of Brussels, as well as the cities of Bruges, Antwerp and Sint-Niklaas. No weapons or explosives were found.

"Those concerned are suspected to be involved in recruiting people to leave for Syria and having financially supported IS," prosecutors said in a statement, adding a judge would decide whether they would be detained further.

In a separate announcement on Tuesday, prosecutors said they had arrested a fourth suspect, a 43-year-old Belgian man named as Reski A., in the case of a police stabbing in August which was claimed by Islamic State.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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