In the trial on the 42-day kidnapping of the 13-year-old Genk son of a drug lord in the spring of 2020, one of the accused confessed to his participation in the abduction of the boy from his parental home.
On the morning of 21 April 2020, four men disguised as police officers entered the 13-year-old boy's parental home in Genk and kidnapped him. They demanded €4 million to €5 million in ransom from his family.
The T. family paid approximately €300,000 in two instalments and another €30,000 in cash, gold and jewellery. 42 days after the kidnapping, on 1 June 2020 (Whit Monday), the boy was released and the federal judicial police made arrests in Antwerp and Limburg. This made it the longest kidnapping in Belgium in which a ransom was demanded and paid.
Islamic extremist Khalid Bouloudo and seven others will have to answer for the kidnapping. Bouloudo (50) is on trial with his 56-year-old brother Aziz and three brothers from Antwerp: Mohamed L. (41), Abderrahman L. (31), and Yassine L. (29). Additionally, Omar L. from the Netherlands, Gulhan Y. (36), from Zutendaal, and Yousef A. (41) from Houthalen, are on trial. Some 70 witnesses will be heard during the trial.
While eight people must stand trial, two of them seem to have disappeared without a trace.
€65,000 in compensation
On Wednesday, Omar L. confessed to his participation in the kidnapping of the boy and said he was responsible for guarding him the majority ("70%-80%") of the time. He also emphasised that he was mainly going to talk about what he had done himself, but would not mention the names of other possible people involved.
L. said that the unknown client had first asked him to gather some information about the T. family from Genk. Afterwards, there was talk of taking the father hostage, but eventually, the 13-year-old was taken and held for 42 days. A few weeks before the actual kidnapping, he had already sent a friend request to the boy on Snapchat.
"If a ransom was paid, I was told that I would receive €65,000 as compensation," said L., who did not reveal the names of the co-kidnappers. "I was told that I had to be careful with what I said and that I was not allowed to say anything about other people involved."
The victim, now 18, pictured during the first day of the trial of eight accused, on trial for the kidnapping of a minor boy from Genk. Credit: Belga/Jill Delsaux
He cut off his ankle bracelet on 21 February 2020. At the time, he was staying with his parents in Maasmechelen under electronic surveillance, but he actually had no official place of residence anywhere. He had no job, no income and no car. After cutting the ankle bracelet, he was able to stay in the parental home of the Laktit brothers.
Like co-accused Bouloudo, L. did not want to or could not give the name of the person who gave the order and spoke to the victim's family by telephone during the hostage-taking. According to Bouloudo, he is a "serious criminal".
At the end of his statement, L. addressed the boy's family. "I know that what I did is unacceptable. I know that they will not forgive me, but I want to apologise for the suffering I caused them."
