Yesterday, a 21-year-old Dutch suspect was arrested in the Dutch town of Maastricht for the murder of a 43-year-old woman in the seaside resort of Ostend last Saturday. The Dutchman was arrested in the city centre during a joint operation by Belgian and Dutch police.
On Saturday, a 43-year-old woman was shot dead in broad daylight in the city centre of Ostend. The killing happened in the Brusselstraat, near the Leopold Park, a location where, according to local residents, there is regular drug-dealing. Witnesses first heard the woman arguing with a man, after which he shot her.
After the killing the perpetrator took a taxi to the West Flemish capital of Bruges. It was later intercepted by the police, but by then the suspect had already disappeared.
“The matter has been thoroughly investigated,” said Tom Janssens, spokesperson for the West Flanders public prosecutor's office, speaking on Wednesday. “First, we had to identify the suspect. Once that was done, we did everything possible to find him. It soon became clear that the investigators had to focus their investigation on the Netherlands. The suspect was arrested in the centre of Maastricht this afternoon around 12:30 PM.”
An investigating judge in Bruges has initiated proceedings to get the suspect surrendered to Belgium. The suspect’s motive is not yet known. It is also unclear what relationship the man had with the victim. “It is still too early to say, but we will say more about this later if necessary.”