A Canadian member of parliament claims he was physically assaulted and robbed in central Brussels, after being targeted by three 'louts' who stole his watch and pepper-sprayed him.
"I was physically assaulted in Brussels by three thugs, who jumped me, stole my watch, and sprayed my face with cayenne pepper," Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay wrote in a statement shared on Facebook.
The alleged incident took place on Tuesday evening near Place de Brouckère, a busy and popular area in Brussels.
According to Savard-Tremblay, the encounter began when a man approached him and asked for the time. Although the individual was holding a mobile phone, the man claimed his device was showing the wrong time.
The MP said he answered the question but immediately became suspicious. He believes the exchange allowed the group to identify the watch on his wrist.
He continued walking towards his hotel and turned onto a quieter street, Rue du Fossé aux Loups, which was partially under construction and forced pedestrians through a narrow passage. The attack reportedly took place there.
"I felt and heard someone approaching quickly behind me," Savard-Tremblay wrote in the post. "As I turned around, two others appeared. I fought back and shouted, but they managed to knock me to the ground."
One attacker allegedly pulled the watch from his wrist while another pepper-sprayed him directly into his face.
The MP said the effects of the spray caused burning in his eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, which lasted throughout the evening.
The suspects fled the scene with the watch. He later went to a police station to report the incident and said he was told the area was covered by surveillance cameras.
He also informed Canadian parliamentary security services and the Canadian embassy in Brussels.
The MP said he was not injured in the assault. "I am still alive. Not injured either," he wrote. "It is better that they had pepper spray rather than knives."
He said he shared his experience as a warning to others travelling abroad, urging people to remain cautious, especially when walking alone or in less busy areas.
The MP added that passers-by helped him after the attack by giving him water to ease the effects of the pepper spray.
Police have not yet released details about any arrests in connection with the incident.
