An individual was arrested at Rogier pre-metro station in Brussels on Wednesday after stealing a police officer's mobile phone, the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone reported on Thursday.
The suspect was released after questioning, pending further investigation.
A patrol from the Trekkers Brigade, which specialises in pickpockets, was on a tram. The detectives noticed a suspect who seemed to be paying particular attention to passengers' belongings.
"When the suspect tried to leave the tram, one of the detectives noticed that his own mobile phone had been stolen from his pocket", the police said. "The detectives then got off the tram and noticed a second suspect running away. It was this person who had stolen the mobile phone."
After a brief pursuit, this second suspect was arrested. He was transferred to the police station for questioning and the stolen mobile phone was returned to its owner.
