Eurostar passenger aggressively arrested in Brussels station, investigation launched

Eurostar passenger aggressively arrested in Brussels station, investigation launched
An investigation has been launched after police aggressively arrested a train passenger in Brussels' Gare du Midi. Credit: @Gbajabee/Twitter

An investigation has been launched after footage of a Eurostar passenger being aggressively arrested by police at a Brussels railway station on Monday sparked outcry after over 200,000 people watched and shared it online.

The video shows several police agents aggressively pinning a man to the ground as bystanders demand police tell them what the man did to get arrested and attempt to intervene.

The incident, which took place in Gare du Midi, ensued after police officers approached the man —one of several passengers waiting for the departure of their delayed Eurostar train— about the contents of his bag, according to witness accounts shared on Twitter.

The video shows police agents and security personnel surrounding the man, who can be heard speaking with the police in English before one agent kicks what appears to be the man's bag.

At least four police officers can be then seen aggressively tackling the man, who can be heard screaming "get off my neck" repeatedly, as the video shows one agent holding him by his neck as other agents attempt to hold the man to the ground.

The video, just over a minute long, also shows the station's security personnel blocking off several bystanders who attempt to intervene as well as one of the police officers screaming to bystanders to retreat and shoving one person to the side.

Videos showing the moments leading up to the incident were subsequently shared online. In them, the man is seen confronting an officer who he accuses of having grabbed him, and the officer can be heard asking the man about the contents of his bag.

The man was reportedly arrested after the incident.

Footage of the arrest, which bystanders have described as "shocking" and "disgusting" online, has prompted an investigation by federal police, who are set to question the officers involved in the incident to hear their version of the events, according to local media.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times


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