A retired pensioner opened fire at two burglars who had broken into his home in Marche-en-Famenne, east of Belgium on Christmas day.
One of the thieves was injured, and the other was arrested, the Luxembourg prosecutor's office said on Thursday.
The pensioner himself risks however also being prosecuted for bodily harm.
The events occurred on Thursday around 2 a.m during the night between Wednesday and Thursday in a house occupied by a retired couple, located on a secluded road near the Wex of Marche-en-Famenne.
Wokened up by suspicious noise, the man armed with a shotgun, found himself face to face with two individuals.
He opened fire three times and injured one of the two burglars, said the Luxembourg prosecutor's office.
The suspects fled from a center for asylum seekers. The police investigation made it possible to arrest the second thief.
The wounded burglar hit by bullet is in hospital undergoing operation. He is said to be 17 years old, while his accomplice is 18-years-old.
Additional investigative duties have been requested to establish a possible link with the many other thefts that have occurred in the region in the past two weeks, the investigators announced.
The pensioner who show the thieves is not known to police. He acquired his weapon in 1980, but had not registered it, the prosecutor specifies, adding that he risks being prosecuted for deliberate assault and battery.
The Brussels Times
