A Belgian man with suspected ties to organised crime was caught with an assault rifle, three bullet-proof vests and ammunition while travelling via bus from Spain to France.
Spanish police arrested the 25-year-old at a bus terminal in Madrid on Tuesday. The individual is wanted by Belgian authorities for robbery, kidnapping and homicide.
Speaking to AFP, a police source said the suspect "has nothing to do with terrorism," but emphasised his links to the world of "organised crime" and "drug trafficking."
The man was reportedly travelling from Malaga and had intended to continue on to Nantes, France. "He had two weapons and ammunition in his suitcase," local police stated on X (formerly Twitter). One of the weapons was an assault rifle.
According to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the suspect purchased the firearm and other materials in Marbella, a small town that is often frequented by drug traffickers and is a hotspot for drug-related violence.
