A further arrest has been made as part of the investigation into Abdessalem Lassoued, the Tunisian failed asylum seeker, who shot dead two Swedish football supporters last week, in Brussels. A suspect, whose home was raided last week, has been questioned and detained. Prosecutors want to find out whether the man was possibly involved in the purchase of the weapon Abdessalem Lassoued used in the attack.
Home News
Brussels attack: new suspect detained
Published:
Updated:
The perpetrator of last week’s attack used an American AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle. An investigation into how Lassoued could get hold of such a weapon is currently ongoing, and investigators are now looking into whether the man detained this morning may be linked to that weapon.
The suspect will appear before an examining judge within 48 hours, who will decide whether or not he will remain in custody.
VRT News earlier discovered how easy it was to purchase weapons online. In three days 17 sellers, ready to supply an array of weapons, were identified. Often the weapons are dismantled and the parts shipped separately complicating police efforts to stop the trade.
Federal prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw says combatting illegal weapons trade is difficult because of the sheer number. The prosecutor added infiltration in arms trafficking circles was difficult because undercover officers cannot take the initiative but must wait till weapons are offered to them.