The Brussels public prosecutor's office says the fatal shooting in the Brussels borough of Anderlecht on Saturday ‘appears at first sight to be part of a settling of accounts linked to drug trafficking’. The victim is a 19-year-old. He was shot dead near the Clemenceau metro station in Anderlecht on Saturday evening. The perpetrators fled in a vehicle.
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19-year-old shot dead in Anderlecht, prosecutors link killing to drug-trafficking
Colin Clapson
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The shooting took place around 9.30pm, at the entrance to the Clemenceau metro station. A witness said she heard 3 shots. Footage from a surveillance camera shows a man wearing dark clothes and a hoodie holding an assault weapon in his hand.
On social media, images of a man lying on the ground in the metro station are circulating, so it is possible he still managed to make his way inside. The man in question is a 19-year-old man. No more is currently known about his identity. It is also not yet clear why he was targeted.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office has appointed an investigating judge to look into the murder. The prosecutor and the investigating judge attended the scene, along with police lab forensic technicians and a ballistics expert.
‘The perpetrators fled in a vehicle and are being actively tracked down,’ the Brussels public prosecutor's office says. ‘At first sight, the incident seems to be part of a settlement of accounts related to drug trafficking.’
Anderlecht mayor Fabrice Cumps also made the link to drug traffickers. According to the mayor, Clemenceau metro station is a major selling point for drugs, which can earn drug criminals up to 50,000 euros a day.
Still according to Mr Cumps, police were barely 70 metres away at the time of the shooting. There have been difficulties in the Clemenceau area for some time. There have now been several shootings in recent weeks. Mr Cumps also stresses that police presence alone is not enough. He wants an investigation into who is behind the drug trafficking as well.
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal/MR) attended the scene on Saturday night. He announced emergency talks, which will take place on Monday. Federal police and the home office will also join the talks.