Mehdi Nemmouche: court in chambers to rule upon committal for trial

The Brussels Court in Chambers is ruling upon the application by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. This relates to the investigation into the attack perpetrated at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, on May 24th, 2014. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office wished for Mehdi Nemmouche and Nacer Bendrer be tried in the Belgian Criminal Court. That having been said, it is seeking a case dismissal for Mounir Attalah. Mehdi Nemmouche’s Defence lawyers have made known that they are requesting an extension of time in the proceedings.

The attack on the Jewish Museum killed four people. The Israeli tourist couple, Emanuel (aged 54) and Miriam (aged 53) Riva, as well as  Dominique Chabrier (aged 66), a museum volunteer, all died at the scene. Alexandre Strens (aged 25), the colleague who was at reception, died on June 6th.

A week after the attack, Mehdi Nemmouche was arrested in Marseille. He was notably in possession of weapons which appeared to be identical to those used during the attack, ammunition and an Islamic State flag. His lawyers indicated that he was involved the attack but was not the gunman.

During the investigation, warrants for the arrest of two other individuals were issued. They were then given conditional releases. These were Nacer Bendrer and Mounir Atallah. In mid-January 2015, a wanted notice was issued for a fourth suspect, a man filmed in the company of Medhi Nemmouche, a few days after the attack. This man has still not been identified.

The case will be considered by the court in chambers this Thursday. The various parties can still request a time extension or the implementation of additional duties for investigation. In September, the lawyers for Mehdi Nemmouche had made known that their client may be suffering a brain tumour, and as a consequence not be able to attend his trial.


The Brussels Times


Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.