Police have apprehended a 17-year-old they suspect of involvement in a stabbing at the bus station adjacent to the railway station in the Flemish Brabant city of Leuven. Two 17-year-old boys were injured in the incident that took place last Friday. As yet the police have not been able to identify two other suspects they wish to question.
The 17-year-old suspect is from the East Flemish municipality of De Pinte. As he is a minor, the boy has been “placed at the disposal of the East Flemish Prosecutor’s Office”. It is likely that he will have to appear before a juvenile court.
He allegedly used a knife during a fight at the bus station and stabbed two other 17-year-olds. CCTV footage shows that two other youths were involved in the incident. However, as yet the Leuven Prosecutor’s Office has not been able to identify them.
Suspects and victims knew each other
The stabbing took place at around 5pm on Friday. The two 17-year-old victims sustained life-threatening injuries. The perpetrators fled the scene.
It soon became clear that the victims and their attackers knew each other “vaguely”. The motive for the stabbing remains unclear. Leuven bus station is the busiest bus station in Flanders. Following the stabbing, the bus station remained closed for much of Friday evening.