Two Russian men, suspected of murdering a 56-year-old man in Zeebrugge, were arrested in Poland while working for a European transport company, according to the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office.
The incident occurred on Friday night around 22:00 in Mercatorstraat, Zeebrugge. The victim, identified as Herwin A., was beaten and kicked by two men. Despite efforts by a passer-by to resuscitate him and the quick response of emergency services, the victim succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses reported that a heated argument had taken place earlier inside a local late-night shop. Shortly after, the suspects allegedly attacked the victim on the street. The exact motive for the crime remains unclear. Following the assault, the perpetrators fled the scene.
On Sunday afternoon, federal police issued a wanted notice at the request of the investigating judge in Bruges. More than 100 tips poured in, providing critical information that helped investigators. These insights, combined with international police cooperation, led to the identification of the two suspects.
The suspects, Russian nationals born in 1980 and 1992, were apprehended on Tuesday evening around 21:30 on the A2 motorway near Skierniewice, approximately 80km from Warsaw. At the time of their arrest, they were travelling in a passenger car. Investigators had suspected from the outset that the culprits could be Eastern European lorry drivers.
The Bruges investigating judge has requested their extradition to Belgium, but it remains unclear when this will happen. “The timing of the extradition depends on the legal procedures in Poland,” the prosecutor’s office stated on Wednesday morning.
