Rioters set fire to a police station close to the Place Liedts in Schaerbeek on Wednesday evening during a protest following the death of Ibrahima B. (23) after his arrest by the Brussels North police this weekend.
Groups of people broke away from the manifestation at the Brussels North police station and made their way into Schaerbeek, where they smashed the windows of the police station at the Place Liedts.
Around 6:30 PM, the district's station also was set on fire, but the damage was limited.
"Our teams were ready to protect the police station," police spokesperson Audrey Dereymaeker told Bruzz. "They were able to extinguish the fire quickly."
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It is not clear how many people have been arrested, but a lot of police forces are still present in parts of Schaerbeek, and will communicate about the number of arrests afterwards, according to her.
On Wednesday afternoon, roughly 500 people gathered to demand clarity about the death of Ibrahima B., who died about an hour after he was arrested on Saturday 9 January.
Since then, police oversight body Committee P has opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter, according to the Brussels public prosecutor's office.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
