Four young Brussels residents had to answer to the Bruges criminal court on Tuesday for an explosion in Bruges. They allegedly targeted the home of the mother of a notorious cocaine dealer.
The Bruges sub-municipality of Sint-Pieters was shocked by an explosion at a front door in the Blauwe Poort on 28 February 2024 at around 03:00. The targeted home and the neighbours' home were damaged, but no one was injured.
Thanks to an investigation, the West Flemish federal judicial police got a few suspects in their sights. At the beginning of April 2024, three young Brussels residents were arrested and subsequently detained by the investigating judge.
The exact motive was never communicated, but the case was quickly linked to the drug environment because a judicial investigation was already underway into a resident of the building: Karam B., who was no stranger to the justice system.
In the past, the man (in his twenties) has been sentenced to heavy prison sentences on several occasions, including for a violent rip deal (a type of robbery where one party makes off with the money as well as the drugs, leaving the other party empty-handed), cocaine trafficking and a home invasion.
He resident was eventually arrested by the investigating judge at the end of June 2024 on suspicion of years of cocaine trafficking. He was sentenced to five years' effective prison sentence on 23 June 2025.
In the investigation into the explosion, four Brussels residents were referred to the criminal court for intentional destruction, damage and gang formation. One of them, Redouane H., is still in prison.
On Tuesday morning, Mohamed T.'s lawyer requested to refer the case to a French-speaking court, but was denied. However, the judges ruled that the trial will indeed be held in Bruges on 1 September.
