The Brussels Prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for the man who threatened to blow his building up on Ixelles’ Rue Dautzenberg during the night of Monday to Tuesday. On Tuesday, the prosecutor’s spokesperson stated that the prosecutor had also commissioned a psychiatric evaluation which he justified by the high risk of the suspect reoffending and by the particular circumstances of the event. On Monday evening the 37-year-old male told one of his neighbors to leave the building as he was going to blow it up. The neighbour immediately called the police. The suspect also called a journalist and announced he was the perpetrator of a similar event that took place on July 9th following an argument with some neighbours that degenerated.
The prosecutor was notified of the facts and visited the area with local police forces. The area was cordoned off and Federal Police special branch started negotiating with the suspect immediately. The man was under the influence of alcohol and told the policemen that after the first event, his wife and children had left him, and that he had lost his job because of the media attention.
The negotiators quickly realised the man was alone in his apartment he was brought under control. The man verbally threatened the policemen and sustained slight injuries during the intervention when he refused to cooperate. He was taken to hospital and will be in court on Tuesday.
During the previous event on July 9th, the man eventually turned himself in to police and was discharged after his hearing. He had said that he regretted his actions and he was not considered dangerous. The prosecutor had initiated a penal mediation procedure which involved a course of therapy for his alcoholism. In light of this new event, the prosecutor has requested an investigating judge examine the case.
(Source: Belga)
