A famous Antwerp law firm was attacked last night. A firebomb or another explosive device was thrown at the premises. A window, four cars and a cargo bicycle were all damaged. The motive for the attack is still being investigated. The firm employs a lawyer who came to prominence in connection with several major drug cases.
The attack happened on Tuesday night around 3.20am. ‘We received a report of a possible fire or an explosion,’ says Wouter Bruyns of local Antwerp police. ‘We do not yet know exactly whether it was a fire bomb or another explosive device.’
Witnesses identified the odour of petrol at the scene.
Nobody was injured, but there is a lot of damage. ‘Four or so vehicles have been damaged, a cargo bike is burnt out and the building’s window that may have been targeted is broken,’ he said.
Office of well-known Antwerp criminal lawyer
This is Christian Clement's law firm. He's a well-known criminal lawyer, who often assists drug criminals. He represented one of the defendants in the Costa drug trial. He recently obtained an acquittal for a suspect in the 2023 Osystraat drug attack.
No suspects just yet
Forensic experts and DOVO's army bomb squad team attended the scene to investigate which explosive was used. ‘Of course, we are also going to investigate whether anybody has more information and can help the investigation. For example, we will also check if any camera images are available.’
No suspects have yet been detained. ‘Immediately after such an incident, we always do a check of the area. We check whether any suspicious vehicles can be found or persons matching certain descriptions were seen in the area. In this case, we don't have any suspects as yet. But the investigation has obviously started.’