A 22-year-old Dutchman was sentenced to five years in prison by the Antwerp Criminal Court on Thursday for carrying out an attack on a building in Borgerhout, Antwerp.
His former partner received a 40-month prison sentence in absentia.
Just before 3 a.m. on 30 April 2023, an explosive device was detonated on the third floor of an apartment building in Borgerhout. “No one was injured, but flats on the second, third and fourth floors were significantly damaged," the public prosecutor said. "The explosive device was remotely triggered.”
The attackers fled the scene in a vehicle registered in the Netherlands. It was traced back to Kyara R., whose phone followed the same route as her vehicle.
Many phone calls between Kyara R. and Rachid E.M., her then-boyfriend, were uncovered during the investigation. A search at Kyara’s residence led to the discovery of a police file relating to a shooting in Rotterdam in which Rachid E.M. was the main suspect.
Kyara R. was extradited from the Netherlands in August 2023. She told investigators that she had driven Rachid E.M. and another individual, called 'Gio,' to a friend’s house in Antwerp. She claimed to have understood their intent only when she heard an explosion after dropping the two men off. She insisted that she had not been informed beforehand of their plan.
Her claims were deemed implausible by the prosecutor.
Rachid E.M., extradited a few months later, remained silent during questioning. He denied any involvement in the case. However, the court established his guilt and imposed a prison sentence.
