Geert Wilders has cancelled all his public appearances in the general campaign after the Dutch counter terrorism unit NCTV reportedly told the far-right leader he was on the hit list of an alleged Belgian terror cell.

Three men aged 18, 23 and 24 were arrested in Antwerp on Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to kill Belgian politicians, including prime minister Bart De Wever, and Belgian media said Wilder was also under threat.

He has since spoken to the NCTV, who have not made any public comment. “The NCTV do not expect any ‘residual threat’ but I don’t feel good about it and so I am halting all my campaign activities for now,” Wilders said on social media.

He did not take part in a radio debate on Friday and has pulled out of the RTL “prime ministerial” debate on Sunday, declining to join via a live link. The leaders of the four biggest parties in the polls are invited to take part.

De Wever has not cancelled his appointments and took part in the Belgian cabinet’s weekly meeting on Friday, local media said. In response to the threat, he posted a humourous photo of his cat on Instagram.