The gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs who fled police via a metro tunnel on Wednesday knew the public transport system "perfectly", the Royal Public Prosecutor said during a press conference on Friday.
In response to four shootings that have shaken Brussels this week, Royal Public Prosecutor Julien Moinil announced a raft of measures to combat what he called a string of "totally unacceptable" incidents.
"An exceptional situation requires an exceptional response," he said. Moinil announced a reinforced cooperation between Federal Police and local police zones as well as the creation of a special task force dedicated to gun violence.
The task force's primary objective is to identify and target the groups behind the violence. Moinil also emphasised the ongoing, "perfect" collaboration between police forces and said that the pooling of resources would continue.
Brussel Public Prosecutor's office Carole Fruy, Brussels' Royal Prosecutor Julien Moinil and Brussels Judicial Police director of operations Eric Jacobs at a press conference on Friday. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
"Brussels is not the only victim of these acts, [but] these acts have damaged the city's image [...] We are going to pool our resources so that Brussels can regain the serenity it deserves," he said.
Gunmen knew the metro system 'perfectly'
A shooting at Clemenceau metro station on Wednesday caused enormous public transport disruptions as two men armed with Kalashnikovs fled the police via the metro tunnel. Two people were injured in a shooting in Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode on the same day. There was a third shooting at Clemenceau on Thursday, and a fourth shooting in the Peterbos district of Anderlecht on Thursday night killed one person.
Moinil says the Saint-Josse shooting "seems to be related to drug trafficking but does not seem to be linked to the three other shootings". Every other incident seem to constitute connected forms of reprisals between feuding drug gangs.
The men who escaped via the metro tunnel "knew the system perfectly," he added. "They were extremely prepared" ahead of the shooting.
Police outside Clemenceau metro station on Wednesday. Credit: Belga / James Arthur Gekiere
'Give the authorities time'
However, Moinil stressed the importance of withholding information for the benefit of the ongoing investigation. "The more secretive the investigation, the more effective it is."
"I have been personally challenged by this investigation," he said. "Give the authorities time to organise themselves."
The Prosecutor called on Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) and Justice Minister Annalies Verlinden (CD&V) to increase resources for police forces, who are at "insufficient capacity" to cope with the scale of the crisis.
He added that he had deployed the maximum judicial resources at his disposal.
