Suspected Terrorist to Face Judge After Fatal Attack on Brussels Police Officer

After his hearing, the court will decide whether the man remains in detention, the federal prosecutor’s office said, stressing that he is being prosecuted for murder and attempted murder in a terrorist context.

A week ago, Yassine M., a Belgian national born in 1990, had attacked a police patrol from the Brussels-North zone, which was in a car stopped at a red light on the Rue d’Aerschot in Schaerbeek. He stabbed the driver in the neck, before attacking the passenger, shouting "Allah Ouakhbar". The former succumbed to his injuries, while the latter survived, but is still in hospital.

Before committing this act, this man, domiciled in Evere, had gone to a police station in his municipality. He declared there that he felt hatred towards the police and asked to be taken care of psychologically.

The accused is already known to the police services for common law offenses and was incarcerated between 2013 and 2019. Furthermore, he is on the OCAM (radicalization) list, the federal prosecutor’s office said.