The young man who, last January, injured seven people with a knife in a psychiatric centre, known as ‘Titeca’ in Schaerbeek, has himself been placed in a mental institution. The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office indicated this yesterday (Tuesday).
The decision to place him into psychiatric care had already been taken but was only made public knowledge on Tuesday.
Four out of the seven victims had been seriously injured and they were initially fighting for their lives.
For five years, the perpetrator, a young man aged 19, was receiving treatment at ‘Titeca’. His reintegration in the community was anticipated.
On January 25th this year, he had received permission to leave to visit his parents in Anderlecht.
Around 7.45 p.m., he returned to the psychiatric centre through the main entrance. He then went back to the unit where he was being cared for.
However, when he opened the door, he immediately attacked a male nurse using a knife, which he had probably brought in from outside the psychiatric centre. He then attacked four nurses and a patient before he fled.
The authorities were able to arrest the young man at his parents' home in Anderlecht.
He was also slightly injured. Four of his seven victims had been taken to hospital in a serious condition but they are no longer fighting for their lives.
The Brussels Public Prosecutor opened a criminal investigation for attempted murder, before concluding that the man's mental state instead involved his having a lack of responsibility for his actions.
The Brussels Times
