The police did not make any serious mistakes in connection with Monday’s attack in Brussels, and Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) has the confidence of the government "for now", State Secretary Thomas Dermine (PS) told VTM on Sunday.
Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD) resigned on Friday after discovering that the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office had failed to process an extradition request from Tunisia last year for the perpetrator of last week's terror attack.
The question of potential police errors was also raised, bringing Annelies Verlinden to the fore. On Saturday, at the end of the restricted Council of Ministers, the Minister of the Interior explained that, given the current state of information, the police could not be blamed for keeping the terrorist at large before he committed his act.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also highlighted the "particularly serious individual mistakes made by the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office."
Related News
- 'An excellent Justice Minister': De Croo defends Van Quickenborne following resignation
- Van Tigchelt announced as new Belgian Justice Minister
- Brussels Prosecutor deplores attacks on magistrate in charge of Lassoued extradition case
"We had a long meeting", explained Secretary of State Thomas Dermine on Sunday. “And so far, with the information we have today, no unacceptable or serious mistakes have been made. For now, Verlinden has the full confidence of the government and the PS.”
Leader of the Flemish social democrats, Conner Rousseau (Vooruit), confirmed that they had not found any procedural errors made by the police at this stage. "We don’t know what else will be on the table this week," he added. In his view, it is not yet "100%" certain that the minister is not responsible in this matter."
For Nadia Naji, co-leader of the Fleimish Greens (Groen), it is also important to ask the right questions and find solutions regarding the internal control of the judicial system, police procedures and the ease with which weapons can be obtained.
