Two Russian nationals were arrested in Poland on Tuesday evening in connection with the investigation into a murder in Zeebrugge, according to the Brugge branch of the West Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office.
Local police in Brugge had received a report last Friday at around 10 p.m. about an incident on Mercatorstraat in Zeebrugge in which a 56-year-old man was beaten and kicked by two other men.
A witness had attempted to resuscitate the victim, Herwin A., and the emergency services were also quickly on the scene. However, all help came too late for the victim.
According to several witnesses, there had been an argument in a night shop shortly before the attack. However, the exact reason for the attack is unclear.
After the incident, both suspects fled the scene.
On Sunday afternoon, at the request of the Brugge investigating judge, Federal Police issued a wanted notice. More than a hundred tips provided valuable information for the investigators.
The tips and international police cooperation ultimately led to the identification of the two Russian suspects, born in 1980 and 1992 respectively. They were intercepted on Tuesday around 9.30 p.m. on a motorway in Poland.
The investigating judge has started the procedure to have the suspects extradited to Belgium.
