An explosion rocked the entrance hall of a block of flats in Antwerp’s Left Bank district overnight. There is a lot of damage, but no one was injured. A resident saw how someone with a hoodie entered the hall. The explosion followed.
The explosion happened in the Habitim Tower on Antwerp's Left Bank around 2.30am last night. A resident saw the suspected perpetrator enter the building.
The explosion caused a lot of damage. ‘When I came downstairs, the letterboxes were on fire. The fire brigade and police were quickly on the scene. The front of the building is completely gone. The windows at the back are damaged too. It was an incredible bang. I thought it was an explosion in the port!’
A lot of drug-trafficking in the area
The resident fears that the attack, like many in and around Antwerp, is linked to drugs. ‘Around here and in the car park, there is always drug dealing. You regularly see expensive cars driving around. Recently they arrested 3 people. I don't know everybody who lives here, but it will be a settling of accounts with someone.’
No one was injured in the attack, but it was a pretty close thing, according to the witness. ‘Fifteen minutes earlier, someone came home and went to check their mailbox. And a woman walking her dog left the building around the same time.’
No suspect yet
The police have launched an investigation. ‘We checked the neighbourhood immediately after the event. We always do that,’ said police spokesperson Wouter Bruyns. ‘We look for anybody who fits a description or someone behaving suspiciously. But we didn’t find anyone like that.’
‘We are now going to examine CCTV footage and interview any witnesses. Army bomb squad DOVO and the federal judicial police lab also attended the scene for a trace investigation.’
Police are still investigating whether the attack is linked to drugs, as the resident suspects. ‘What happened obviously makes one think of that, but the investigation still needs to come up with evidence. We are investigating all possibilities. It is a big building. There are 140 registered residents. Who the attack was directed against is still being investigated.’