Belgian Murder Suspect Arrested After Six-Week Manhunt in Brussels Shooting Case

Mohamed-Amine Dardour was arrested on Saturday after a month and a half on the run, the federal police announced on Sunday in a press release. The 25-year-old man is accused, along with two accomplices, of the murder of Soufiane Benali, during a shooting that occurred on the night of July 4 to 5, 2020, on Alfred Orban Street in the city center of Forest in the Brussels region, which also left two seriously injured, aged 17 and 19.

Mohamed-Amine Dardour and an accomplice, Youssef Jeddi, had turned themselves in to the police a week after the murder. Placed in pre-trial detention for murder, attempted murder and verbal threats, the two suspects later benefited from conditional release and were placed under electronic surveillance. Taking advantage of this measure, they fled. Youssef Jeddi will be arrested in southern Spain and handed over to the Belgian authorities. Amine Dardour, whose arrest warrant had been lifted by mistake on June 21, had been on the run since then.

The fugitive was on the list of the most wanted criminals by the Belgian authorities. He was arrested on Saturday by the local police of Bodukap, near Mechelen, while under the influence of drugs, reports La Dernière Heure. He was carrying a fake ID card at the time of his arrest, it is specified. Amine Dardour was then presented to the investigating judge of Mechelen who placed him under arrest warrant. Accused of the murder of Soufiane Benali, his trial should open on September 30 in Brussels, after a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 4.

In addition, three police officers from the Brussels/Midi zone, a commissioner and two inspectors including the latter’s son, are also being prosecuted in this case for criminal conspiracy, document forgery and violation of the secrecy of the investigation. They would have provided information to civilians nicknamed "sheriffs" in order to get their hands on the alleged murderers of Soufiane Benali Their trial is scheduled for December 13.