Police special units seized over 110 semi-automatic firearms and arrested 6 people in the Belgian capital as part of an investigation into arms smuggling, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday.
The raid, which was carried out on 7 September, led to the dismantling of an organisation suspected of being active in large-scale firearms trafficking in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The group is believed to have established itself in the Belgian capital in recent months with cross-border connections. As part of the investigation, 6 people have been placed under arrest, and more than 110 semi-automatic firearms and a large quantity of ammunition have been seized by police.
Identified as counterfeit semi-automatic firearms, the weapons seized had no control or reliability markings or identification numbers. This is a practice which is particularly popular with criminals as it makes them very difficult to trace.
Press conference on a seizure of over 110 firearms by the Brussels Federal Judicial Police, in Brussels, on Friday 13 September 2024. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Investigators believe that the organisation may have links with other criminal groups based abroad. "Cross-border connections are believed to have enabled considerable quantities of these firearms to be smuggled into Belgium," said the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office in a statement.
Police have been following the organisation’s activities for several months, having mobilised significant resources and required close cooperation between the various units of the Federal Police for the 7 September raid. Led by an examining magistrate, the investigation is still ongoing.
Nearly 40 shootings
In 2024 alone, there have been at least 37 shootings in the Belgian capital. One week ago, a shooting in the Model City district of the Brussels municipality of Laeken left one person in critical condition.
Other notables incidents include the body found on a construction site in Molenbeek in early June, a shooting near the Peterbos neighbourhood in Anderlecht, and a series of shootings in February around Saint-Gilles.
Not all shootings in Brussels are drug-related. At the end of August, a man (57) was shot dead during a home invasion in Ixelles after one of the perpetrators had arranged to meet the victim's son via the popular dating app targeted at gay men Grindr.
