Belgian State Faces Accusations Over 2011 Liège Attack Responsibility

The attack on the Place Saint-Lambert took place on December 13, 2011. Nordine Amrani, a Liège detainee of Moroccan origin on parole, is the author of this shooting that killed six people and left one hundred and thirty other victims. While he was still to be heard for his alleged involvement in a morals case, the accused went to a warehouse where he held weapons and grew cannabis plants. He then went to the Place Saint-Lambert armed with an assault rifle and grenades. The rest is the horror caused by the gunfire and grenade throwing on the crowd, reports La Dernière Heure.

Nordine Amrani had been released by the Sentence Enforcement Court in August 2010. "He had always held weapons, he frequented former detainees, he was unemployed, he worked in the black market and he also committed a new offense. It is absurd that a new arrest warrant was not immediately issued. I think it was negligence that allowed him to be armed on the Place Saint-Lambert on December 13, 2011. This drama was not something unpredictable," said Me Alexandre Wilmotte.

According to the sages of the Constitutional Court, holding the Belgian State responsible for this drama is a way to prevent such tragedies from occurring. "This is a battle that has been waged for several years with families who have lost a loved one under atrocious conditions. The accused should not have been released, but in addition, if his release conditions had been monitored, he would have been sent back to prison and this tragedy would not have happened," says Me Wilmotte.