A suspect has been arrested in connection with a kidnapping case that occurred overnight in the Saint-Gilles district of Brussels on 14-15 May, the federal police announced.
The investigation began when police were called to a fight in Saint-Gilles on the night of 14 May. A witness had seen someone being hauled into a vehicle. On the same evening, the Antwerp maritime police received a tip-off from Germany about a possible ransom kidnapping.
This tip enabled the Antwerp federal judicial police (FJP) to identify the assumed kidnap victim. Investigators subsequently established a connection between the two incidents.
In response to the kidnap report in Brussels, and thanks to the trace of vehicles involved, three individuals were arrested around 01:30 on May 15 in the Marke region of West Flanders.
After questioning, two of the suspects were released by the police. The third person, however, was handed over to the investigating judge in Brussels and placed under arrest for arbitrary detention.
Following a deeper investigation by the Brussels and Antwerp FJP, supported by the Dutch police and justice system, the kidnap victim was also located a few days later.
The Brussels FJP is now investigating the precise circumstances, potential motive and any other suspects involved in the crime.
