Brussels prosecutors have requested prison sentences of up to 15 years for six defendants accused of involvement in shootings linked to a drug gang turf war in Anderlecht in February 2025, La Dernière Heure reported on Tuesday.
The defendants appeared before the 46th chamber of Brussels Criminal Court over incidents linked to the fight for control of Place Clemenceau, one of the Brussels-Capital Region’s main drug-dealing hotspots.
The violence began on 5 February 2025 when two gunmen opened fire in the square in an apparent attempt to drive out a rival gang. The perpetrators, Yasser A. and Zakaria Y., were subsequently sentenced to 13 and 11 years in prison, respectively.
The following day, rival gang members allegedly retaliated, leaving a Ukrainian worker seriously injured after he was struck in the knee by submachine gun fire, leaving him unfit for work for 45 days. Prosecutors are now seeking 15-year prison sentences for Luca K.Y. and Sofiane A. over their alleged involvement in the attack.
The investigation also uncovered further incidents of violence in the neighbourhood. During the night of 19 to 20 February, gunmen opened fire on the façade of a building on Rue de la Clinique, near Place Clemenceau, and molotov cocktails were discovered outside the property.
Police used automatic number plate recognition cameras to trace vehicles suspected of involvement in the shootings, including one fitted with stolen licence plates.
The investigation eventually led officers to a squatted social housing apartment belonging to the Molenbeek housing company, where weapons and drugs were discovered. The property had reportedly not been inspected for almost a year.
DNA evidence linked several suspects to the weapons and drugs recovered from the apartment. Detectives also established that one of the firearms had been used in the killing of Thierno Souleymane Sow, who was shot dead at Clemenceau metro station on 15 February 2025.
According to La Dernière Heure, Luca K.Y. is the only defendant in the current proceedings who has also been charged in connection with Sow's murder. That killing is being dealt with separately and is not part of the present trial.
Prosecutors have requested 15-year prison sentences for Luca K.Y. and Sofiane A., while seeking sentences of between three and five years for the four other defendants: Nordine A., Haroun A., Hamza B. and Younes C.
The defendants are all young men, with an average age of no more than 22.
The two principal defendants deny involvement in the attempted murders but acknowledge participating in drug trafficking. Their lawyers have argued for community service sentences.
Some defendants whose DNA was found on the weapons and drugs claimed they had merely taken part in filming a rap music video. Investigators reportedly found two traces of the video on a suspect's mobile phone.
The court is expected to deliver its verdict on 7 December.
