The man whose body was found in a park in Beveren in East Flanders, just outside of Antwerp, may have been the victim of a homophobic hate crime.
The victim was approached on a gay dating app and set up, VRT reports. When the victim went to an arranged meeting place, he was stabbed and beaten to death by three suspects.
One person has been arrested and the other two remain at large.
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The public prosecutor’s office is not offering more information at this time.
This man is the second in Belgium known to have been clearly murdered for being gay. In 2012, Ihsane Jarfi was killed in Liège by four men for the same reason. A silent march is held in his memory each year on International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Helen Lyons
The Brussels Times
