A gang of individuals who had been assaulting walkers in the Parc du Cinquantenaire has been arrested following a series of searches carried out in recent days.
The suspects struck several times between early September and late October, often working in groups to harass victims in the park in the European Quarter, according to the Brussels-Capital and Ixelles police zone.
"During these assaults, people were forced to hand over valuables and their bank cards were also stolen, which were then used to withdraw money. In some cases, victims walking through Parc du Cinquantenaire were threatened with a knife at the throat, while others were punched in the face," the Brussels Capital Ixelles' spokesperson said.
However, in cooperation with Montgomery police, the police zone has now identified and arrested the gang.
"Both police zones were able to identify one suspect after another thanks to excellent detective work. Once the entire gang was identified, several searches were carried out in the week of 6 November. In the process, ten suspects were arrested, both minors and adults."
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All gang members were handed over to the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, which then requested an examining magistrate to further look into the case. Of the ten suspects, five were adults and have been placed under arrest.
The five minors were placed at the disposal of a youth judge, who decided to place four suspects in a closed public youth protection institution (IPPJ) and the fifth in an open IPPJ.
"The investigation is still ongoing to determine whether the suspects were involved in any previous offences," the spokesperson concluded.
