A 31-year-old Palestinian living in the municipality of Roeselare was sentenced to five years in prison by the Ghent Court of Appeal on Friday for preparing a terrorist attack.
His twin brother was acquitted, but both received an additional three-year sentence for assaulting their sister and brother-in-law.
The two brothers broke into the home of the couple in Antwerp on 17 September 2021. They then beat the couple up and threated them with a knife because their sister was too “Western,” according to the public prosecutor.
The brothers also allegedly demanded €4,000 from the couple for helping them with their asylum application.
A week later, one of the twins, M. A., was arrested and his home searched. Police found a half-finished bomb in the attic, among other things.
M.A. was sentenced to 80 months in prison, including 20 months for assault and battery, possession of illegal weapons and planning an attack.
His brother, A. A., received a 40-month suspended sentence, for the blows inflicted on his sister and brother-in-law.
Both acknowledged the violence inflicted on their sister, saying they regretted it and denying any religious reason.
M. A. had not wanted to create a bomb, but to “train his dog like a police dog” and had tried to create the most realistic situation possible, according to his lawyer, Peter Gonnissen.
The court did not believe him.
