The two mortar grenades, discovered in Schaerbeek, had, in fact come from the Bois de la Cambre (an urban public park in Brussels). The man who had supposedly found them on Place de Houffalize, acknowledged having put them there last weekend.
He said that he had tried to throw them in a glass recycling bin. He then thought it prudent to warn the police.
The North police zone (covering Schaerbeek, Evere, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode) indicated this yesterday Tuesday.
The man who is aged 20, owns a metal detector which he uses regularly. Last weekend, he took his device to the Bois de la Cambre and found two grenades.
He unearthed them and took them back by tram to his home in Schaerbeek. He then photographed them and posted them on various Internet sites. In each case, he took the opportunity to ask the question what type of grenades these were.
When other forum users told him that they were British mortar grenades which were both unstable and potentially explosive, the young man attempted to call the Service for the Removal and Destruction of Explosive Devices (SRDED).
Unable to get hold of them, he decided to abandon the grenades near a glass recyling bin in Place de Houffalize, before realising that this was not a good idea and finally calling the police on Monday around 9 p.m.
SRDED disposed of the grenades later during the evening.
The police are still determining whether the cost of this particular operation may be attributable to the young man, who was reported for possessing explosives.
The Brussels Times
