Several people of French nationality, including one minor, have been placed under arrest near Brussels, following a cross boarder operation, which uncovered a plot to potentially kidnap and torture victims.
The Federal Judicial Police of Brussels' organised crime division, in cooperation with the special units of the Federal Police, intercepted ten people of French nationality on Monday 10 March. Ten were adults, while one was a minor.
"Eight individuals were placed under arrest by the examining magistrate in charge of the case," the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office's spokesperson Martin François said on Wednesday.
They were charged with attempted robbery with violence in a gang with a vehicle at night and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime. The underaged person was referred to the juvenile court.
Cross-border collaboration
The Prosecutor's Office explained that the interception came after police in Belgium received a message related to a French court case handled by the BRI (Brigade de recherche et d'intervention) in Versailles, France.
It cited concerns about a vehicle which could be used to commit a violent act in the short term against one or more as-yet-unidentified people. The police established that the vehicle in question was travelling to Brussels.
"Out of fear that the possible victim(s) would live there, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Brussels immediately launched an investigation in close cooperation with the Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Pontoise," François said.
"The observations that were made led to the suspicion of a disturbing location in a residential area in Braine-l'Alleud [around 25 kilometres to the south of Brussels] on Sunday night."
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At around 05:40 on Monday morning, shortly before the suspects and vehicles arrived at the location in question, they were intercepted by the special units. "During this operation, the investigators on the scene discovered material that could indicate a place where people were being held captive and tortured."
The Prosecutor's Office stressed that the smooth cooperation between the Belgian and French judicial and police authorities "undoubtedly ensured, given the discoveries made, that an act of unprecedented violence was prevented."
