Belgium

Articles

• Belgian-Moroccan Suspect in Child Kidnapping Case Vanishes Before Trial
  11 April, by Sylvanus

  While he is due to appear before the Tongeren Assize Court on April 22, a 32-year-old Belgian-Moroccan has disappeared from the radar. This man accused of kidnapping a child is untraceable in Tongeren.
  Will Abderrahman Laktit be present at his trial for kidnapping on April 22 before the Tongeren Assize Court? Nothing is certain. "We think he is on the run," it is said. The units went to Abderrahman’s home and noticed that there was no one there. The thirtysomething is accused of a double (…)

• Belgian Political Power Couple Weds, Maintains Separate Residences for Voter Representation
  10 April, by Sylvanus

  Newly married, Sammy Mahdi, 36, president of the CD&V, and his partner and party colleague Nawal Farih, 36, federal MP and group leader in the Chamber in Belgium for the same party, continue to live at different addresses.
  After their wedding celebrated last weekend, Sammy Mahdi will continue to live in Vilvoorde (Flemish Brabant), Nawal Farih in Genk (Limburg). A choice confirmed by the federal MP. She had actually made an announcement to this effect in an interview with Het Belang (…)

• Woman Claims to be Hidden Daughter of Morocco’s Late King Hassan II in Belgian Court Battle
  20 May 2024, by Prince

  Jane Benzaquen, a 71-year-old Belgian-Israeli woman, launched a legal action in Belgium three years ago to be recognized as the hidden daughter of the late King Hassan II. She is determined to go all the way.
  "The decision was not easy, but I remain strong. I am convinced that the truth will come to light," said El Independiente’s Jane, who hopes that the Belgian justice system will rule in her favor and recognize her as the hidden daughter of the late King Hassan II, and therefore the (…)

• Belgian Prosecutors Probe Moroccan Ambassador in EU Parliament Corruption Scandal
  19 December 2022, by Sylvanus

  Abderrahim Atmoun, a former MP, current Moroccan ambassador to Poland, is in the sights of the Belgian justice system following the corruption scandal that is shaking the European Parliament.
  Abderrahim Atmoun is cited in the corruption scandal rocking the European Parliament. He would be involved in a network of bribes to parliamentarians that the Belgian prosecutor’s office is investigating, reports the daily Le Soir.be. He owes his diplomatic successes, notably the agricultural and (…)

• Measles Outbreak Prompts Flanders to Warn Against Travel to Morocco
  10 April, by Prince

  Flanders (Belgium) has seen a worrying increase in measles cases among children in recent months. A health specialist urges vaccination before any travel to Morocco where the disease is rampant.
  Professor Daan Van Brusselen, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at the Antwerp hospital group ZAS, recommends vaccination before any travel to Morocco during the Easter holidays. "Anyone traveling during the Easter holidays should check which countries have epidemic outbreaks. This is (…)

• Morocco Bolsters National Team with Dual-Nationality Talents Ahead of Major Tournaments
  10 April, by Prince

  Morocco continues to uncover and recruit young dual national talents to strengthen its team in the run-up to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
  Jones El-Abdellaoui, a striker for the Spanish club Celta Vigo, has decided to represent Morocco, to the detriment of the Norwegian under-18 team with which he has already played six international matches. The young right winger is expected to make his debut with the Atlas Lions at the next Africa Cup of (…)

• Belgian Driver Sentenced in Fatal Hit-and-Run of 11-Year-Old Cyclist
  26 July 2023, by Prince

  The Maaseik police court has just sentenced a woman to three months in prison with probation and eight months of driving ban for hitting Bilal Ben Omar, an 11-year-old Moroccan, on May 19, 2021 in Maasmechelen. The boy died a few days later in the hospital.
  The woman, from Kinrooi, hit Bilal who was cycling with her Citroën on the roundabout of the Oude Baan and the Koning Albertlaan in Maasmechelen. The forty-year-old dragged the boy, trapped under her car, for a few more

• Spanish Police Bust Major Moroccan Hashish Ring, Seize 376 Kilos of Drugs
  10 October 2022, by Prince

  The Spanish police have dismantled a major hashish trafficking network from Morocco, based on the coasts of Cadiz and Malaga, with ramifications in other Spanish communities. In total, 21 people were arrested and 296 kilos of marijuana and 80 kilos of hashish were seized.
  The criminal network was transporting the drugs by sea from Morocco, storing them in warehouses before transporting them by truck to countries like France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The police operation led to the (…)

• 11-Year-Old Girl Killed in Antwerp Drug Gang Shooting, Police Investigate
  11 January 2023, by Prince

  A 11-year-old girl was killed on Monday in Antwerp in a shooting that targeted her home in Merksem. A member of a Moroccan family involved in drug trafficking, Ferdaous was a collateral victim of a settling of scores between drug traffickers.
  "The 11-year-old girl was seriously injured. She was taken to the hospital, but unfortunately she died shortly afterwards," said Willem Migom, spokesperson for the Antwerp police, on Tuesday. Initially, the agents thought the young girl had succumbed (…)

• Genk Director Defends Transfer of 13-Year-Old Soccer Prodigy Amid Controversy
  3 May 2024, by Prince

  Under fire for accepting the transfer of Ilyes Bennane to Anderlecht, Dimitri De Condé breaks his silence. The sports director of Genk returns to the reasons and circumstances of the departure of the Liège-born Moroccan, who became the youngest Belgian international at just 13 years old.
  "The problem was in the entourage... The parents criticized the other players, the other parents, the club, the coaches," explained Dimitri De Condé to Nieuwsblad, who says he summoned all the parties to (…)