Teen Fighting for Life After Brutal Gang Attack in Molenbeek, Belgium

The events took place on November 1 in Molenbeek. The 19-year-old man was assaulted and beaten in the evening as he had gone to play with friends. "He called us. He told us they were waiting at the exit. That he couldn’t get out. Then 30 people came out from everywhere, from cars, from houses. They started hitting him with everything, with baseball bats, metal things, scooters," recounts one of the two witnesses who witnessed the scene to RTL.

Notified of the assault the next day, the young man’s uncle goes to the hospital. The victim was admitted to the intensive care unit. He is unrecognizable. "His face, I didn’t recognize him. His face has doubled. He has fractures in the face everywhere. He has fractures in the head," laments the uncle, describing a "sociable" young man. "Everyone loved him, everyone appreciated him. Today, all his colleagues have shown up, my phone rings every day to get news," he adds.

For now, the causes of the assault are still unknown. The case has been transferred to the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, we are told. Gathered in front of the hospital on Sunday, the victim’s family, colleagues and friends are demanding justice for Soufyane. "He’s a young, athletic, very cheerful person. We don’t understand what happened. We condemn this assault," says a participant. "We are here to show that despite the circumstances, love triumphs," says another.