13 Suspects to Face Trial for Brutal Torture and Murder of Belgian Man over Drug Dispute

According to information from the newspaper HLN, Hilal Makhtout would have made a package of cocaine worth 100,000 euros disappear and would also have emptied a safe. The torture would have started on March 9, 2019 in his hometown, Genk, before he was transferred to two other locations, to finally arrive in Forzée, a village near Rochefort.

On the day of the events, Makhtout was in the garage of his studio in Genk when his masked attackers arrived and immediately assaulted him. The victim would have been tied up and then tortured with a lit cigarette, a taser and a hammer. His body was found three days later in the Ardennes.

In total, 13 people must answer for their alleged involvement in this case, which represents the largest number of suspects ever prosecuted in an assize trial in Limburg. The accused are being prosecuted for torture resulting in death and criminal conspiracy.