On Monday, a young man died in a cell of the Federal Judicial Police (FGP) in the Brussels-Capital Region, the Brussels public prosecutor's office confirmed on Tuesday.
Around 2:00 PM on Monday, the police services in charge of the cells in the Rue Royale were concerned about the condition of a person arrested by the Brussels Capital-Ixelles police zone the previous day, and immediately called an ambulance.
"Upon their arrival, the paramedics started chest compressions and called in the Mobile Emergency Service (MUG), who unfortunately determined the person's death at around 3:00 PM," Martin Francois, spokesperson for the public prosecutor, said in a press release.
It reportedly concerns an 18-year-old young man who was living in Belgium without official documents and had been arrested for the theft of a mobile phone, according to local media.
The press release states that an assessment confirmed that the victim had been examined by a doctor before being locked up, as the procedure provides.
The doctor stated that the arrestee needed no further medical attention and could be placed in the cell, according to Francois.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office requested in particular that the video surveillance images be seized, and ordered a visit from the FGP laboratory and summoned a medical examiner.
An autopsy is scheduled to take place tomorrow/Wednesday to carry out toxicological analyses, among other things. "In the interest of the ongoing investigation, no further announcements will be made," Francois added.
