Belgium's biggest ever trial for alleged terrorism offences began Monday in the northern city of Antwerp.
The trial involves 46 defendants accused of conspiring to overthrow Western democracies through the means of terrorist acts, Xinhua reported.
All accused are members of the militant Islamic group Sharia4Belgium. State prosecutor Ann Fransen will try to prove to the court that the group is part of a terrorist conspiracy.
According to the prosecutor, since 2010, the group has been attempting to aggressively recruit young Muslim men for its cause, thereby radicalising them against Western democracies.
Activities of the group, particularly their media appeals to engage in a violent struggle against the West, "cannot be interpreted otherwise than a public appeal to armed jihad," Fransen was quoted by Le Soir as saying.
She added that many leading figures of the group have subsequently traveled to Syria or to fight alongside the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.
The investigation by Belgian authorities against Sharia4Belgium began in February 2012, which resulted in 48 raids in Antwerp and various locations in Brussels in April last year.
