Belgian police have identified and arrested seven suspects for the murder of the owner of a nightshop in Ixelles who died during a robbery in August.
Six of the suspects were arrested in Belgium; a seventh was caught in France. The Brussels prosecutor has asked for the suspect to be extradited.
The murder in the nightshop on Vredesstraat in Ixelles took place during the night of 3 to 4 August. Several perpetrators broke into the nightshop and tied up the shopkeeper’s wife in the cellar.
When the woman managed to free herself some time later, she found her husband’s lifeless body upstairs, after which she alerted the police.
According to the coroner, the victim is believed to have died as a result of internal bleeding caused by multiple blows and physical violence, the public prosecutor’s office said on Friday.
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"Various items were stolen during the incident," the prosecutor's office added. "A thorough investigation at the scene revealed that three suspects entered the nightshop shortly after closing time. All three suspects have since been identified and arrested. Two suspects admit that they were present at the scene of the crime. All three suspects have been remanded in custody.”
Two other suspects are believed to have acted as lookouts during the robbery, according to the public prosecutor’s office. “One of them was arrested and also placed under a detention order. The second has been identified and is the subject of an international arrest warrant. He was arrested in France by the French police and is due to be extradited to the Belgian authorities shortly.”
A sixth and seventh suspect, who are also alleged to have been involved in the offences, have also been placed under arrest.
