Brussels police caught two Belgian soldiers on Saturday with ammunition they may have stolen from the army, De Standaard reported.
The pair were arrested in the centre of Brussels after local residents near the Berlaymont building saw two men shooting at random with firearms from an open window.
Police entered the building and apprehended the two soldiers, who are also brothers and both part of Belgium's air force stationed at the 15th Wing in Melsbroek.
The weapons turned out to be air guns but during a search of the building, police officers discovered over 200 pieces of ammunition meant for Belgian troops. Public prosecutors are now investigating if the soldiers had stolen the ammunition from the Belgian army.
"The men were arrested and were released after questioning," the Brussels public prosecutor's office said. They aren't connected to the far-right, which was initially feared.
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Sources close to the soldiers stressed that the ammunition wasn't stolen "with malicious intent" but as "collector's items." It is still unclear why they were shooting outside with air guns at a central Brussels location.
The arrest comes after the army had promised stricter measures to prevent the theft of ammunition after a soldier in 2021 stole a considerable amount of weapons and ammunition.
Far-right extremism in the army
The Jürgen Conings affair in 2021 illuminated the threat of far-right extremism infiltrating Belgium's military. Conings stole weapons from the Leopoldsburg barracks where he worked and announced his plan to carry out an attack on the virologist Marc Van Ranst – a figure of considerable political influence as he advised on public health policy during the pandemic.
A manhunt for Conings was instigated in the woods in Limburg although law enforcement didn't initially find him. However, his body was later discovered near the area after he had committed suicide.
Following the incident, the army committed to combatting far-right extremism in its ranks and several soldiers were suspended. But the army has yet to comment on this latest incident of stolen ammunition.
"This is of course being investigated by both the Defence and the judiciary," a spokesperson for Minister of Defence Ludivine Dedonder said.
"We cannot make any concrete statements. Except that the necessary precautions were taken. I want to make clear that this kind of behaviour is absolutely not acceptable. The Defence will come up with appropriate sanctions, based on the investigation."
