A 17-year-old has been arrested in Liedekerke, Flemish Brabant, on suspicion of committing two armed robberies, police and the Halle-Vilvoorde Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on Monday.
The first robbery took place on 6 August around 1 a.m. at a night shop on Opperstraat, where a masked, armed suspect forced the proprietor to hand over the contents of the cash register.
Two weeks later, on 22 August, at about 6 a.m., another incident occurred, this time on Warandestraat, when a masked, armed suspect targeted a Bpost employee, demanding their mobile phone. When the victim said they did not have one, the suspect took their wallet, removed the bank card, and attempted to obtain the PIN code. After they refused, the suspect also stole the keys to the Bpost vehicle.
“Based on the investigation and CCTV footage, the TARL police zone quickly identified a suspect: a 17-year-old from Liedekerke,” said Sabine Lievens, spokesperson for the Prosecutor’s Office.
On Friday, police searched the suspect’s home, arrested him, and recovered the firearm used in the crimes. The teenager confessed to the robberies and has since been placed in a juvenile detention facility by a juvenile magistrate.
