A policeman was killed in Brussels. the attacker was in the anti-terrorist service

The former radicalized detainee, who the same morning made threats against the police and demanded psychiatric help. The first elements presented by Belgian justice on the alleged killer of a police officer in Brussels sparked controversy on Friday.

Submitted as “Yasin M.The suspect, a 32-year-old Belgian who was born and lives in Brussels, was being held by the Belgian agency for analyzing the terrorist threat (Ocam), the federal prosecutor’s office revealed at a press conference.

“He was known to the justice system for habitual offenses which resulted in him being detained between 2013 and 2019.“, we added from the same source. According to a statement from the Brussels prosecutor’s office, he presented himself at the Belgian capital’s police station on the morning of the events on Thursday, asking himself “psychological support“. “He made inappropriate remarks, spoke of hatred towards the policeBrussels prosecutor Tim DeWolf said.

After the advice of the judge, police officers escorted him to the psychiatric ward of Saint-Luc hospital, where he is being cared for by nurses. After that, he was able to leave the hospital under the conditions that the investigation has to find out. The tragedy raised questions and protests even within the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “How can a magistrate release an individual listed as a +terrorist threat when he says he wants to attack the police? UnacceptableGeorges-Louis Bouches, president of the Movement for Reforms (MR), tweeted.

“The judge has to give explanations and the investigation is important“This liberal leader, the Prime Minister’s political family added. According to the Brussels prosecutor who defended his prosecution magistrate Yasin M.does not meet legal standards“For mandatory detention, because he was.”voluntarilyto receive care. The 1990 law strictly regulates restrictions on the freedom of people suffering from psychiatric disorders.

The deadly attack took place around 7:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. GMT) on Thursday in the Brussels-North Station district of Brussels’ Schaerbeek municipality. The suspect armed with a knife attacked a police car stopped at a red light, and the driver received “a blow to the throat“, the federal prosecutor’s office detailed. Then the attacker moved towards the passenger, hitting him on the right hand. The latter was able to call other police officers and said that he heard the suspect screaming.Allah Akhbar“(“God is the greatest“), according to the same source. Yasin M. was the target of the return fire of the patrol that arrived as a reinforcement, and “bullet injuryhe was taken to the hospital.

“The event is too much»

The policeman, 29-year-old Thomas M., who was hit in the throat, did not survive, and his partner Jason P. (23) did not survive.he was admitted to the emergency room, where he underwent surgery that night“Always according to the federal prosecutor’s office. He is now out of danger. The CSC-Police and SLFP-Police unions on Friday called for “national demonstrationon November 28 in Brussels against violence against their profession. Vincent Gilles, of the SLFP, condemned the “the event is too much“.

Beyond the psychological characteristics of the suspect, the preliminary investigation was opened “assassination attempt and attempted murder in a terrorist contextwe have to look at his prison journey. in the prison where he was serving his sentence”robberyHis behavior has worsened since 2015, according to a source familiar with the matter. He was placed in aDeradex section(reserved for radicalized detainees). According to Ocam, Yassin M. was listed as “a total database containing approximately 700 names“, shared by all Belgian security services.

The list includes “known extremists and terrorists in the country, which are the subject of priority monitoringA representative of the federal agency told AFP. After the jihadist attacks in Brussels (32 dead on March 22, 2016), Belgium has been the scene of several attacks against soldiers and police. The latest attack is considered to be “terrorist“It happened in Liège (East) on May 29, 2018, when a 31-year-old radicalized criminal shot and killed two police officers and a student while shouting several times.”God is great“. Then he was killed by the police.