33-year-old Omar Ettaleb, who is on trial for robbery and murder before the Liège Assize Court, removed his electronic ankle bracelet before his trial and fled.
This was reported by the Liège Prosecutor’s Office on Monday. The man had failed to report to the court at the resumption of his trial.
Ettaleb is suspected along with Zakaria El Bouraqui (25) and Sami Gallout (24) of the robbery murder of 44-year-old Liège man Ilyas Kösker, on 28 June 2019. The case is currently being heard by the Liège Assize Court.
On Monday morning, however, Ettaleb did not show up at his trial. He claimed to be ill and made his way to the emergency ward of the Citadel hospital in Liège. A court-appointed doctor ruled that the accused was healthy enough to attend the trial.
Thereafter, the signal from the electronic ankle bracelet was lost. According to the Deputy Public Prosecutor, the anklet was cut off near the Pont Atlas in Liège.
The prosecutor’s office now considers Ettaleb a fugitive. He is now wanted both in Belgium and abroad.
