The shooting in the early hours of Monday morning has all but confirmed yet another spate of gun violence incidents, suspected to be linked to the drug trafficking scene in Brussels.
On Sunday night, one person was injured at 02:40 on the Square Jacques Franck in Saint-Gilles, just by Porte de Hal, according to La Dernière Heure and later confirmed by Saint-Gilles Mayor Jean Spinette (PS).
Two individuals were arrested near the scene. Spinette was at the scene on Monday morning, where he was approached by several residents who were disturbed by the shooting.
One resident told Belga News Agency that he had heard gunshots at around 02:45. "I saw people running and then heading back up that way," he explained, pointing towards Rue de l’Église Saint-Gilles, which leads to the rear of the Parvis.
Another local resident said she had seen "something like a flash of lightning" from her bedroom. Both called on the mayor to find solutions.
The mayor told the concerned locals that the Midi police zone had recently carried out "hundreds of arrests" and seized "dozens of kilos" of drugs. He added that he believes the police had regained the upper hand against drug dealers.
Spinette believes that the drug networks are trying to reclaim the selling spots. Despite the arrests, "people quickly return to deal just 100 metres away", he said.
Another shooting incident occurred in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean on Avenue Jean Dubrucq around midnight on Sunday night. At the scene, they found a victim who had been shot in the lower leg. The victim was taken to hospital and was not in a life-threatening condition.
Weekend of violence
These latest incidents follow three shootings that took place between Friday evening and Sunday morning in the Brussels-Midi police district, which includes Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Forest.
Last Friday, two hooded individuals were recorded on CCTV shooting at the facade of a Brussels police station on Rue Demosthene in Anderlecht. Two suspects subsequently fled on a scooter. Bullet holes were found at the scene, but no one was injured.
This incident triggered the intervention of Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliés (MR), who sees these shootings as "a further warning to Brussels". "We will not let organised crime take over our city", he added.
Screenshot of CCTV during the police station shooting in Anderlecht on Friday 21 August as shared by various Belgian media outlets
The following day, the police were called out again following a shooting at the junction of Rue Gustave Defnet and Rue Montenegro in Saint-Gilles on Saturday at around 21:15. Officers found a man at the scene with a leg injury, who was then taken to hospital – but his life not believed to be in danger.
The other shooting incident was reported on Sunday morning at around 07:00 on Chaussée de Forest, near Porte de Hal, as confirmed by the mayor of Saint-Gilles.
Concerningly, the bullet hit the window of a house at number 4 Rue Fontainas. The occupant was still in bed at the time of the incident, telling Belga News Agency that she had been very frightened.
Her bedroom is currently cordoned off pending the findings of the police forensic laboratory. Approached for comment, the mayor of Saint-Gilles said he was "furious".
A building at a crossroad between Chaussée de Forest and Rue Gustave Defnet - Gustave Defnet pictured after shots were fired, Sunday 23 August 2026, in Saint-Gilles municipality in Brussels. Credit: Belga/Mateusz Kukulka
Two car fires reported on Saturday night in Saint-Gilles have also sparked suspicions of being linked to drug trafficking. The first was reported on Rue de la Linière in Saint-Gilles at 19:10 and a second, reportedly affecting an electric car, was found on Avenue de la Porte de Hal at around 01:00.
The incidents occurred less than a kilometre apart, and for the time being there is no evidence linking the two incidents, nor with the other shooting incidents, particularly as the Brussels-Midi police zone has not provided a statement.
However, the Mayor of Saint-Gilles believes it was a deliberate act. "It is a tactic of intimidation between rival gangs," he said, adding that this is still merely an assumption. In his view, these fires also contribute to creating "a climate of fear".
'Brussels deserves respect'
The local mayor has repeatedly urged the Federal Government for more resources aiming to tackle gang violence. On Sunday, he reiterated his call for 80 additional police officers in the Midi zone to allow the force to conduct thorough investigations and break up these organised criminal networks.
Following a call with Brussels’ Chief Prosecutor Julien Moinil on Sunday, Spinette also called for extra resources for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, including additional places in youth detention centres – something frequently lobbied for by Moinil.
According to the mayor, a merger of the Brussels police zones is not, in itself, a sufficient solution. Spinette also wants greater powers to deport people without legal residence who are involved in criminal activity.
Mayor of Saint-Gilles during a town hall for concerned residents after a series of bombings in April 2026. Credit: The Brussels Times
"Brussels deserves respect," the Saint-Gilles mayor told the Belga News Agency on Sunday. He is demanding that the Belgian capital receives the same resources as Antwerp, where billions worth of drugs are imported each year via the port.
In recent years, the diamond city, formerly led by Belgium’s current Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) until 2024, has earned the nickname of the "cocaine capital of Europe".
'Genuinely rethought, reinforced and properly funded'
Yet violence continues to spill out into the streets of Brussels, as rival gangs and families fight for power and control of lucrative drug lines and dealing spots.
Since the start of the year, the Belgian capital has recorded 57 shootings linked to drug trafficking, currently on track for a new record. Despite this, the number of victims so far is lower, with two deaths and 21 injuries.
Throughout 2025, the federal police recorded 101 shootings, resulting in a total of eight deaths and 43 injuries.
In April and May, a week-long series of tit-for-tat firebomb explosions in Saint-Gilles saw the windows of a school blown out, fuelling residents’ growing concerns that the situation was spiralling out of control.
After the latest incidents, the Brussels-based Socialist Party (PS) urged the Federal Government, led by Flemish nationalists N-VA and neoliberals MR, to do more. Regional Brussels Minister Ahmed Laaouej (PS) urged Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) to "decide to act seriously against organised crime in Brussels". "Enough!" he said.
Meanwhile, Brussels Minister-President Dilliés highlighted several measures taken at the regional level. A drugs commissioner is to be appointed at the end of September and will lead a "comprehensive strategy" in collaboration with the police and the Brussels municipalities.
He also cited a regional budget of €68 million earmarked for security and prevention, and referenced the recent ban on shared electric scooters, which has now been delayed to January.
Both hailing from the MR party, the Minister-President Dilliès backed Interior Minister Quitin and said he had welcomed his message of condemnation on Saturday.
"Given the situation we have inherited, this fight will take time. It will be pursued, and even stepped up, relentlessly. We will never abandon Brussels," Dilliès concluded.
However, anger among opposition MPs is growing. On Monday afternoon, the PS called for a joint meeting of the Federal Parliament's home affairs and justice committees. It wants to hear from Quintin and Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) as soon as possible.
"From stepping up customs checks at the port of Antwerp – the gateway for drugs into Europe – to measures designed to prevent drug lords from ordering shootings from their prison cells, and including the strengthening of investigative and police teams, the security chain must be genuinely rethought, reinforced and properly funded," stressed opposition MP Ridouane Chahid (PS).
In his view, "the figures do not add up". "Despite the tireless efforts of police officers on the ground and mayors, there are currently insufficient resources to combat criminal networks that are becoming increasingly organised and violent," he stated.
