Five people arrested during Tuesday’s national protest have been released, the Office of the Public Prosecutor (OPP) in Brussels announced on Thursday.
A sixth person who was also arrested has reportedly been released as well, according to reliable sources confirmed by Belga News Agency.
The five individuals presented to an on-duty magistrate were released, while the sixth was handed over to an investigating judge. Prosecutors indicated that investigations were still ongoing.
Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police made 37 administrative arrests and five judicial arrests on Tuesday during clashes between police and protesters at the national demonstration. Brussels-Midi police (Anderlecht/Saint-Gilles/Forest districts) conducted 19 arrests—18 administrative and one judicial.
All six judicial arrests were referred to the OPP.
“An investigation has been launched for one of the suspects, and the prosecutor has requested the issuance of an arrest warrant,” said Laura Demullier, a spokesperson for OPP-Brussels. “The prosecutor is deferring the case to court.”
The magistrate on duty questioned the other five suspects, and further investigations are now in progress, including a review of CCTV footage, Demullier added. She said prosecutions would be initiated once sufficient evidence was gathered.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor’s office revealed that preliminary findings suggested that a specific group deliberately used the demonstration as an opportunity to commit acts of violence.
Several investigations are now underway, including cases of arson, malicious obstruction of traffic, and criminal conspiracy in connection to violent incidents at Place de l’Yser. Another investigation is focused on identifying those responsible for damaging the Immigration Office building.
