One person was injured in a large fight at around 02:00 on Saturday night which saw a group of around 20 people attack the victim near Brussels North train station in Schaerbeek.
The Brussels-North police zone was called in to help a person allegedly surrounded by around 20 people on Rue Dupont to the east of the station at 02:00 on the night of Saturday to Sunday. Some of the people initiating the fight were armed with sticks and rods.
"When the patrols arrived, people present moved aside, but they remained nearby," Amaury Verhoustraeten of the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office told Bruzz.
The police were able to arrest one suspect, who is currently under interrogation. Meanwhile, one person who witnessed the large fight as well as the victim were able to give a statement to the police about the incident.
Verhoustraeten stressed that the Public Prosecutor's Office cannot give more information about the exact reason for the meeting, or the role of the arrested person in the fight as a whole.
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The street is located in the the Northern Quarter, the neighbourhood in the municipalities of Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, which due to the mono-functional nature of the area, with high-rises on every street and a lack of foot traffic at night, has a history of crime, fuelled by drug use and poverty.
In light of a report recently drawn up in collaboration with social and health sectors, local authorities are shifting their approach in the area by addressing the causes and consequences of addiction and mental health issues in the public space to improve safety.
