The Brussels Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation after footage appeared on social media that showed a man brandishing a Kalashnikov machine gun during the disturbances that followed Morocco’s victory in their final Africa Cup of Nations group stage game on Monday evening.
Prosecutor’s office opens investigation into man seen with Kalashnikov during disturbances in Molenbeek
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The area around the Zwarte Vijvers metro station on the border between Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and Koekelberg (both Brussels) was the scene of major disturbances after what had started off as a celebration of Morocco’s qualification for the knockout stage of the tournament turned nasty.
Rubish bins and other items were torched and fireworks set off. Images published on social media show a man carrying a machine among the troublemakers. He is shown riding on the back of a moped while waving the Kalashikov in the air.
The Brussels West Local Police Service told the Brussels regional news platform Bruzz that “Based on the footage we have drafted a crime report. The case has already been passed on to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation”.
On Monday evening the Moroccan national football team finished as the winner of their group after a 3-0 victory against Zambia. A sizable portion of the population in both Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and Koekelberg has Moroccan roots and many support the Moroccan national football team. Most do so peacefully as was initially the case at Zwarte Vijvers on Monday evening. However, after a time things turned grim with acts of vandalism and arson. Calm returned to the area just after midnight.
The police say that 1 person was arrested and that they have drafted crime reports for arson and the illegal use of fireworks. Police will continue to analyse CCTV footage in order to identify those that were involved in Monday evening’s disturbances.