Two individuals have been arrested in connection with a bomb attack that took place in Mortsel (Antwerp province) on 1 February 2024.
The suspects, a 29-year-old man and woman, were arrested in a joint operation in Puurs-Sint-Amands and Lebbeke, according to the Antwerp Prosecutor’s office.
The woman is thought to have traced and handed over the victims’ addresses. The attack involved a homemade firebomb which was thrown at a block of flats on Vuurkruisenlaan. No casualties were reported, yet significant property damage was incurred.
It was soon discovered that the targeted victims had recently relocated. Investigators found their addresses were accessed the day before the attack by an employee within the Lebbeke Municipal Administration in East Flanders.
Further investigations revealed the employee had also identified five other locations where violent incidents had occurred. It is alleged the woman conducted these searches at her husband’s request; both were subsequently arrested by police.
The pair will appear before an examining magistrate, who will decide on their detention. Their crimes are currently classified as membership of a criminal organisation, destruction of a structure using explosives under suspicion of human presence, violation of weapons law, breach of professional confidentiality, illegal consultations, and distribution of information from the national registry.
